Tenrou Island
by imthekomodo
Summary: The S-Class trial is approaching fast for Fairy Tail, as well as romances and complicated political entanglements. Natsu and his best friend, Sophia (original character), face-off for the title along with the rest of the gang, but all hell breaks loose when Grimoire Heart attacks the island and takes out Master Makarov.
1. Chapter 1

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Natsu:

He laughed as the pair walked down the street. "Why do you and Happy even have a house of your own?!" Sophia asked jokingly. Natsu blushed and said

"Well, we don't wanna ruin what little alone time we give you in the first place," he smirked, "even though I'm sure you must hate it when we're gone."

Sophia rolled her eyes and the setting sun played across her face in crazy patterns created by the canopy of trees above.

"Whatever, you practically live with me anyways," she retorted with a giggle.

Natsu's blush faded and he felt slightly disappointed that he had to say goodbye to the redhead. He shook it off so he could enjoy the walk to his cottage before she left. Besides, he'd see her tomorrow. He glanced over at her and took note of the way the golden light made her glow, bringing out the onyx and chocolate flecks in her green eyes, shining on her cherry red hair, her fulgent freckles, her sun-kissed skin. He smiled and chuckled to himself. She leaned forward and looked into his eyes, with curiosity brimming in her own.

"What're you laughing at," she asked.

He blinked and grinned. She raised an eyebrow, but Natsu noticed the smile playing on her lips. He smiled again and her deadpan broke and she grinned, a huge grin with sparkling white fangs. Literally fangs, her canines were large and pointed, much more than the average humans'. Much like a _dragon's_. He started laughing and she joined in.

"What're _you_ laughing at," he joked.

It felt good to laugh, much to Natsu's surprise. It was a nice laugh, not the kind that left you gasping for air at the end or clutching your sides, but the kind that left you feeling brilliant and lifted and happy. Sophia gave him a smug side-eye and replied

"Oh, nothing. Just you."

The small cottage at the end of the lane glowed with the same golden light and Sophia whispered into the wind,

"You know, your house looks like something from a fairy tale."

Natsu chuckled again and studied the shack. The ivy curled up the fence and up the dark gray stones that made up the exterior. The red shingled roof was worn down but the rusted weathervane on top still spun with urgency in the autumn wind, and the peeling white paint on the bottom half of the house had a sort of country charm that really did make you think of a fairy tale. A little magical cottage in the woods. Sophia smiled sweetly and turned to Natsu, the movement out of the corner of his eye bringing his gaze back to her.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"So a mage in Fairy Tail has a magical cottage from a fairytale," Sophia stated.

She shrugged and laughed a small laugh. It sounded like a dozen tiny chimes tinkling in a soft gust of wind, but the mischievous sparkle in her eyes is what made Natsu's heart melt.

"Tell Happy I say hi."

"Okay, see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we need to take a request-" she paused in the middle of her sentence and made a pouty face, "I'm already out of food..."

"Not again, we went to the grocery store _yesterday_!"

"Lucy came over!"

"She couldn't possibly have eaten all of that!"

"I know, but I used her as an excuse to cook most of what we bought..."

"How are you so skinny?"

"HEY, I COULD ASK THE SAME, FLAME BRAIN!"

Natsu smirked as their little bicker began. She had a great body... he couldn't help but notice.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Goodnight!" Natsu called to her as he walked through the small gate and into his front yard.

"Goodnight!" he heard her call good-heartedly from behind him. He heard her footsteps disappear down the gravel path back into town. The sun had set and the warm orange glow coming from his windows made Natsu sigh in relief. He turned the handle of the thick wooden door slowly and yelped in surprise when he felt a fist land a punch on the square of his back. He whirled around, his fist on fire, only to see Sophia running away. She launched herself over the small, white picket fence and raced back down the path, for real this time, all the while cackling in delight.

"GOODNIGHT NATSU!" she yelled over her shoulder.

"WATCH YOUR BACK, YA PYRO!"

"I COULD STILL SAY THE SAME!"

Natsu laughed and stepped into the cozy home. Happy flew at him while yelling at the top of his lungs,

"NAATSUUU! GUESS WHAT'S TOMORROW!"

He raised an eyebrow.

"What's up Happy?"

The exceed's huge eyes glowed with excitement as he whispered,

"Master is gonna announce who's in the running for S-Class this year!"

Natsu stood there, shell-shocked with excitement for a couple of seconds. He burst the silence by jumping up and down while yelling

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

"But Natsu, you have to sleep!"

"I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, HAPPY!"

Natsu turned from his friend and laid down on his hammock, excitement coursing through his veins and his mind racing with every possibility the next day might hold. He knew he could be in the running this year. Phia too. Natsu glanced back at the cat and his face crinkled into a smile as he saw him fast asleep in his bed.

Sophia:

She couldn't stop laughing to herself as she walked back down the gravel path, away from Natsu's house, as she thought about the expression on Natsu's face when he had whipped around to face her. She couldn't believe she'd gotten him so good. She strolled past the guild hall and turned onto Canal Street as she stared up at the sunset slowly fading behind the row of buildings at the end of the street, sighing.

She felt almost ambivalent about the sunset. The way it marked the end of the day but also marked the opportunity to see a new day full of adventure. But of course, it might also just be pretty and not symbolize anything. She liked that option the best.

She reached her front door and shoved her shoulder against the old piece of wood. It swung open with a creak and the redhead stumbled into her apartment, tripping on the doorstep, as always. She puffed out her lips and groaned as she bent down to rub her stubbed her toe.

As she walked into the kitchen, she spotted a letter on top of her freshly made bed. It definitely hadn't been made when she'd left that morning. Frowning, she raced over and threw herself onto it, grabbing the letter and ripping it open as she gently bounced.

"Hey, Sophia! I thought I'd leave you this message since you and Natsu missed the big announcement this afternoon!" Mira's voice resonated from the card as a picture of her appeared on the front.

"Master will be announcing the wizards that are competing in the S-Class competition this year! Good luck! Make sure you don't oversleep!" the white-haired barmaid giggled as the message ended.

The bottom of the card read "P.S. I'm sending Lucy to wake you up just in case". Sophia chuckled as she stood up again and crossed the room, walking into her kitchen.

"Welp! Time to celebrate with a good meal!"


	2. Chapter 2

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Lucy:

As she walked down Canal Street, Lucy couldn't help but wonder what this big announcement at the guild could be. Mira had refused to tell her, saying that it would be better as a surprise. Lucy shrugged and muttered,

"They sure do like to surprise you in this guild, don't they."

"PUN PUN!" Plue yelled.

"You said it, Plue."

She reached her destination and began to bang on the old wooden door as hard as she possibly could. Plue jumped in surprise. When no one answered, she went around to the side and began to bang on the window next to Sophia's bed with all of her strength.

"I'M UP, I'M UP!" came Sophia's desperate attempt to stop the incessant banging. Lucy grinned and yelled back,

"LET ME IN THEN! I'LL EVEN MAKE YOU BREAKFAST!"

The door opened rapidly as she said the word 'breakfast'.

"Well, that's great because I just got this new pancake mix I've been dying to try!"

Lucy smirked and pushed her way inside. Her short, blue mini skirt flew up as she stepped over the air vent and into the kitchen and she quickly pulled it down with a yelp.

"Ha, that's why I never wear skirts."

"You were wearing a mini skirt just like this when we met!"

"Oh yeah...Huh. Interesting choice for me… I do far too much kicking to be wearing a skirt that short. Or a skirt at all for that matter…"

The redhead sat deep in thought at the kitchen table in her oversized, black long sleeve shirt and short pajama shorts printed with a red dragon graphic as Lucy began to prepare the pancake mix. She occasionally glanced back at Sophia and smiled; her bedhead made it look like she had two little red horns sticking up. Lucy thought it was quite fitting, especially after she has seen Sophia dressed up as a demon in Edolas. That had been quite the sight. Sophia and Natsu alone were hilarious, but Lucy had gotten the added bonus of seeing Gajeel and Wendy pretend to be their minions as the two of them had "battled" it out for control of the city.

"Is my hair doing that thing again?" Sophia muttered. "You always make that face when you're trying not to laugh at me."

She folded her arms and made a "Hmph" noise as Lucy let out a small laugh and said

"You caught me."

Natsu:

 _S-Class, S-Class, S-Class, S-Class, S-Class_ went through Natsu's head on an endless loop as he and Happy made their way to the guild hall. _Almost there, S-Class, S-Class, S-Class._

Happy glanced up at Natsu and smiled. He thought it was almost cute how excited Natsu was. As they turned the next corner, the guild hall came into sight and Natsu jumped up, whooping and hollering as they began to race down the street towards the giant, oak doors. Natsu opened them with a bang and stepped inside. He was greeted with the sounds of brawls and sloshing mugs and several mages waved to him as he passed. He sat down next to Erza and Gray, who were discussing one of the other guild members, Mest.

"I just can't remember anything about him…" Gray mumbled.

"I know he's been here for a long time," Erza added.

Come to think of it, Natsu couldn't remember exactly how long Mest had been there either.

"Didn't he compete last year?" he asked, hoping that might clear up his timeline.

"Yeah I think so," replied Gray. "But it still feels hazy."

The three of them sat in thought, trying to come up with a concrete idea of when he had joined when Lucy and Sophia busted through the doors. They were arguing about something, but even Natsu couldn't hear what they were saying over all the noise going on around him. He could see that Sophia's face was as red as her hair. He strained his neck to listen better, but to no avail. Sophia had already changed the subject as they came and sat down with him and Gray and Erza. Lucy sat next to Gray and Sophia slid in next to Erza. Natsu felt his spirits fall. _Why doesn't she want to sit next to me?_


	3. Chapter 3

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Lucy:

Lucy took special notice of the fact that Sophia had chosen to sit next to Erza, instead of Natsu like she usually did. She smiled to herself. She had been grilling the poor girl about whether or not she could see herself getting together with Natsu. Sophia had either pretended not to understand at first or truly didn't get that Lucy meant together as in _together_ together. She had given the blonde a confused look and replied "We're always together, whaddya mean?"

Lucy had rolled her eyes and given Sophia a glare in hopes of trying to get it through her thick skull that she had meant something different. When it had finally dawned on Sophia, they had already left the house. Sophia was dressed in loose, white, high-waisted shorts held up by a thick, brown, leather belt and a black, Cheongsam style, silk shirt that had orange trim around the collar, sleeves, and bottom, and, as always, her dragon-tooth bracelet was wrapped around her upper arm, right below her bright red guildmark. It clinked and jingled as they walked down Canal street. A fisher boat passed by and waved to the two mages.

"So.. you...uh...don't mean, like... I thought you meant like spend more time together or hang out or something…not, um, _date_."

The cherry-head had whispered the last word like they were children and she was afraid an adult would hear her using an inappropriate word. Lucy began to laugh at Sophia, and as they walked it had gotten progressively louder. Sophia was already red from her initial statement, but now she was almost on par with a tomato.

"Okay… you can stop anytime now… it can't be _that_ funny. C'mon Lucy! Give me a break!" she droned on as Lucy laughed louder and louder.

"Ah, haha, I'm sorry I just forget how cute you are, it's adorable. You're so innocent."

Sophia had blushed again and, scratching the back of her head, turned away from Lucy to look at the canal shimmering in the early morning sunlight.

"So anyway," Lucy had begun, giving Sophia a playful shove with her shoulder, "would you ever consider _that_?"

Sophia turned to look at her again, with her freckled cheeks still glowing pink.

"Y...Yeah…" she mumbled, almost inaudibly, with her eyes pointed towards the ground and her hands clasped behind her back. "…I _might've_ thought about it before."

Lucy had almost jumped for joy. She loved to play matchmaker, especially with her two best friends. When she had first met them in Hargeon she was convinced that they had to be a couple, but when she had asked Happy he had just started laughing his ass off.

"You two would be so cute! What if I ask Natsu if he'd ever think about dating _you_? I promise I won't tell him you said anything. And I won't force you guys into anything, just let you know what he says...and I'm sure he's gonna say yes, so that means you could ask him out!"

Lucy had winked as they walked through the guild hall doors and Sophia's face immediately turned red again. She whipped around and whispered

"Ok, ok. Maybe. I don't know. Don't do it...or do it. I don't know!" She ended up yelling the last part and several mages turned around and laughed, causing Sophia to turn even _more_ red, which Lucy hadn't thought was possible. As they had made their way over to where Erza, Gray, and Natsu was sitting, Sophia had whipped around and whispered, again, "Okay, fine. But you have to make me more pancakes."

Lucy had smiled and agreed, laughing as they sat down.

Gray:

Gray could tell something was up as the blonde and the redhead approached and he turned and gave Lucy a knowing look as she sat down next to him. She was looking at Sophia and trying to hide a smile. He raised an eyebrow, but she shook her head ever so slightly, meaning she'd tell him later.

Sophia:

In that short span of time, Erza had already begun interrogating Sophia about her last solo mission, her eating habits, exercise, whether or not she had remembered to brush her teeth before she left the house (Lucy piped up, saying "She did, I watched her"), and about her shoes (she didn't have any on).

"I lost my only pair and I spent all my money on food this month. Besides," she said, pumping one of her arms into the air, "This way I'll get really strong calluses on my feet and be able to walk on a floor of nails!"

Everyone at the table except Natsu sweatdropped, while Natsu gave her a crisp high five that resonated through the hall.

"We're buying you shoes this afternoon," Erza stated.

"But I don't want any!"

A shadow covered the Titania's face and Sophia leapt away from her and out of her seat, running towards the bar.

"Hey Mira, I'm here on time and everything!" the redhead called to the bartender. Mira walked over with a glimmering smile on her face.

"I'm so glad! It would have been awful if you'd slept through it like last year. You were so confused when we were all gone!"

"Yeah, I can't believe ya'll didn't even leave a note on the door. I had no idea what was going on!"

The two girls laughed and Mira poured her a beer on the house.

"Thanks Mira!" Sophia called over her shoulder as she made her way back over to the table. This time she slid in next to Natsu, taking a big gulp of from her mug.

"It's only 10:00 AM…" Lucy commented.

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess it is. Well, today's gonna be fun! S-class announcements are today!"

"Is _that_ what this is?!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly, causing all the people at the table to jump.

"You didn't know?" Gray inquired. He smiled and pointed at himself with his thumb while leaning towards Lucy and announcing "I'm gonna be in the running this year for sure," he paused and turned to scoff at Sophia and Natsu before gesturing with his thumb towards them this time, "Who knows when those pyros will be in the running."

"Wanna say that again, Gray?"

"You heard me, flame brain."

Suddenly Natsu was on top of Gray, fists flaming. Sophia hiccupped and yelled, "I'll join in later..hcc...I chugged but I chugged it _wrong_."

She turned to look at Lucy and smiled before laying her head down on the table and beginning to snore almost immediately. Erza and Lucy exchanged shell-shocked glances over Sophia's head as she snored away.

"That might be a new record..." Erza mumbled.

"Yeah, I think it is," Lucy mumbled in reply. "They're all freaks...Gray's already lost all of his clothes, Natsu has set about, oh, one, two, three, four people on fire...oh, no, it's five now, and Sophia fell asleep in about .2 seconds after chugging at least 30 ounces of beer in about .2 seconds at 10 in the fucking morning."

"I'm very concerned about Sophia, there is no way that can be healthy..." the Titania paused and leaned towards the sleeping dragon slayer. "Would you...would you check her pulse? Just for peace of mind."

Lucy giggled a little but did as she was asked.

"Don't worry, we're all good."

"Thank goodness. Last time I had to do CPR I broke someone's rib cage. Granted it wasn't the chest I was performing the CPR on, but still."

Erza smirked at Lucy and added, "You know, I bet you'll be up for S-Class by the time it rolls around again next year."

Lucy's face lit up at the thought and she smiled wide, showing Erza all her pearly whites.

"You really think so?"

"I do. I know what you did at Nirvana. That alone is above the capabilities of many of the mages up for consideration today. You just need to believe in yourself, Lucy. And stand your ground. Never back down."

"Haaaaaaaaa...you rhymed..." Sophia groaned with her face still flat against the sturdy, wooden picnic table.

"Shut up!" Erza snapped at the other redheaded mage.

"I agree with you though," Sophia retorted, "Lucy's got what it takes…" she trailed off as her head dipped back towards the table, and stopped completely when it slammed against it and she began to snore again.


	4. Chapter 4

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Natsu:

"Alright everybody! Listen up! You know what time it is," Master Makarov yelled out from his position on top of the bar. He stood up as the din of voices faded and eyes turned towards him. He gave the crowd a small smile before he continued.

"This year's S-Class candidates are as follows: Cana Alberona! Natsu Dragneel! Gray Fullbuster! Mest Gryder! Elfman Strauss! Levy McGarden-"

"GO LEVY!" Jet and Droy cheered, interrupting the Master.

"SHUT UP, BRATS! As I was _saying_ , Levy McGarden! Juvia Lockser! Freed Justine! And last but not least, Sophia Dragion!"

The Master shot a wink in Sophia's direction and she raised her empty beer mug in reply.

"All of you will have the next two days to choose a partner. We meet on the docks at noon on the third day. Good luck, my children!"

"Who's gonna be your partner?" Natsu heard Lucy ask Sophia, who shrugged in response, saying "Well, Natsu already called Happy...maybe I'll ask Lily...he's got that big ole sword."

Natsu hurried back over to the table, but spared the time to turn around and flip Gray off as he walked away.

"Yeah, fuck you too!" the popsicle called in response.

"So!" Natsu said, sliding in next to Sophia, "I hear you're gonna ask Lily! Too bad Happy loves me more!"

"HE DOES NOT YOU JUST GOT TO HIM FIRST!" the redhead argued.

"No offense to Happy, but he doesn't seem like the best candidate for a partner in a battle…"

"OF COURSE HE IS!" the two fire-dragon slayers yelled in unison.

"Whoa there! Okay then!" Lucy held her hands up in surrender.

"Maybe I won't choose anyone," Sophia mused. "I bet I can take all of you guys at once _with_ your partners and come out on top!"

"Yeah, right."

"You do realize that Mira, Erza, and _Gildarts_ are going to be participating, right?" Gray chimed in.

"HEY LILY!" Sophia screamed as she stood up from the table, rushing towards the black exceed and his dragon slayer.

"No way, pyro, stay away from my cat."

Lily looked up at her with a smug look on his face and shrugged. Sophia whipped back around and stomped back towards the table.

"Why was your second choice _still_ an exceed?" Gray muttered.

"OH! I know! Lucy, summon Plue!"

"Okay…"

The celestial wizard stood up from her seat at the picnic table and began to perform her chant, but by this time Natsu had tuned out what was going on. He was staring at Sophia as she sat staring at Lucy with anticipation coming off of her in waves.

"Here he is! Say 'hi', Plue!"

"PUN PUN!"

"Plue!" Sophia said, standing up and pointing at the small snowman. "Will you be my partner for the S-Class trial?!"

"PUN PUN PUN!" Plue exclaimed, leaping into her arms.

"What the fuck," Erza muttered.

"Oh you are so going down," Gray said, laughing.

Natsu sat deep in thought, with Happy flying over from Charle and Wendy to sit on his head and stare at the scene before them.

"I can't believe you didn't think of that, Natsu!" the blue cat whispered.

"I have you! I definitely got the better end of the deal, don't worry. Plue's no threat!"

Natsu's voice was confident, but his face told a different story. One eyebrow was raised and he could not take his eyes off of Plue. You could almost see the gears turning in his head, he was thinking so hard about the threat Plue could pose.

Lucy:

Surprised as Lucy was to discover that Plue had agreed to work with Sophia, she was even more surprised when Gray announced that Loke was going to be his partner. She ran over the day's events in her mind as she walked slowly along the edge of the riverwalk towards her apartment on Strawberry St. She glanced down at Plue and smiled, glad that he was going to be able to participate, even though she was a little disappointed that she was going to miss out on the fun, but she would have the chance to take on a couple of solo requests while everyone was gone and work on her own magic. As she stepped into her apartment she knew immediately that something was wrong. There was someone else in her bathroom. She could see the steam seeping out from under the door. She froze in her tracks and began to slowly reach for her keys, managing to grab Scorpio's. She inched closer and closer to the bathroom door, careful not to make a sound. She could hear breathing…

"OPEN, GATE OF THE SCORPION, SCORPIO!"

Scorpio appeared out of thin air, busting the bathroom door down as he materialized.

"WHAT THE FUCK! LUCY, IT'S ME! CANA!"

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING IN MY BATH TUB?!"

Cana looked down at the steaming water and mumbled, "Long story."

"Thanks for coming out Scorpio, I've got it from here."

"Always a pleasure, Ms. Lucy!" he said, winking as he disappeared again.

"Cana, what's wrong?"

"I...if...if I don't win the S-Class competition this year...I'm going to quit Fairy Tail."

"What?! Why? Cana, you can't! You're such an important and vibrant part of the guild! It wouldn't be home without you!"

"I just can't keep lying to myself anymore, Lucy. I've been in this the past four years and I've failed every time. I can't… I can't tell my father that I'm his daughter until I prove that I'm a capable wizard...S-Class doesn't even compare…" she mumbled the last part, breaking eye contact with Lucy and again staring down into the water.

"Cana, it doesn't matter who your father is or what he might be capable of. He'll love you no matter what."

"But I want to prove to him that I can be as good as him.. Lucy… my father is _Gildarts_. I'm like a flea compared to him, how could I disappoint him so badly?"

Lucy sat down next to Cana, on the edge of the bath and leaned over to hug her, tight.

"Cana, I promise you that I will make you an S-Class wizard. Let me be your partner!"

Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes as she looked into the brunettes own teary eyes,

"Please! I can't let you just quit because of something like this! And I can't let you go on not having a relationship with your father because you're worried you're not good enough. Of course you're good enough! You're a mage of Fairy Tail!"

Cana began to tear up as Lucy continued and she slowly nodded her head, a smile spreading across her face.

"Fine. But you better do your best!"

"You know I will," said the blonde with a smirk.


	5. Chapter 5

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Gray:

"Come on! How can you pyros be so weak?!" the ice mage yelled as their ship traveled across calm, peaceful waters. He got no discernible reply, only pained groans and a slurred "Shhh". Gray chuckled to himself as he leaned over the side of the frigate, looked past the rows of shining cannons, and locked eyes with his reflection in the serene, cerulean blue water below.

"Wendy… Troia...please…" came a strained gasp from the redheaded dragon slayer.

"I'm sorry Sophia-san! I'm only helping Mest now!"

"Ahhghhhhhhhh…" came her disgruntled and mournful reply, inciting a round of laughter from the mages sunning themselves on the deck.

Gray turned around to face the rest of the group again and, using his hand to shield his eyes from the overbearing sun, stared off into the distance, attempting to make out the island they were traveling to.

"So how come it's just those two bozos that get motion sick, Wendy?" he inquired of the sky dragon slayer.

"I'm not sure what causes it… Gajeel-san doesn't experience it either…"

"Ha! Here that, flame brains?!" he taunted, with a smile spreading across his cold features.

"Shuuut _up_!" Natsu screeched, Happy circling above him, cackling.

The Master walked out of his cabin and stood on the top deck, facing the wizards below.

"As I'm sure you can see, we're approaching Tenrou Island, the place where our first master lays. It is a sacred land, perfect for our trial. Once we reach the island, you will each have to choose a different pathway. Some are peaceful, some will require you to battle other competitors...and some will require you to face off with either Erza, Mira, or Gildarts. Best of luck to you all. We will begin as soon as the grand Tenrou tree is on the horizon."

Tensions suddenly rose as the competition began to get more real. Gray gave Loke a side-eye, who responded with a subtle nod and disappeared below deck, his sandals squeaking on each wooden step. Lucy and Cana began to prepare themselves as well, gathering their cards and keys. Sophia and Natsu seemed to stop wretching long enough to mumble something to each of their pathetic partners. It annoyed Gray that they both decided to choose partners that weren't mages. It felt like they weren't taking it seriously. He didn't want to win without a fight. _At least Happy can fly_...Gray thought to himself, staring at the back of Sophia's head. _What is she thinking?_ Gray knew she wasn't an idiot; it was more likely that she had something up her sleeve, and he was tired of waiting for it.

Suddenly the female dragon slayer stood up, leaning on the edge of the boat for support.

"We've got this Plue."

"PUN PUN!"

Plue didn't look too hot: he was melting into the deck. Of course, he would resolidify once he got out of the direct sunlight, but how was he going to be _any_ help in that state?

"I see it! We're starting!" Lucy yelled, rousing Gray from his thoughts.

"LOKE! NOW!" he roared. The two of them leaped over the railing, but instead of splashing into the cool water below, they rebounded back onto the deck with a harsh thud.

"Don't worry!" Freed called as he and Bixlow flew from the boat at top speed, "It'll wear off in five minutes!"

"FREED FOR FUCKS SAKE!" the mages left on board cried in unison. Gray saw Levy pull out her glasses and Gajeel moved protectively in front of her.

"Levy-chan can get us out of here!" Lucy cheered. The bluenette turned to wink at her friend as the air around her shimmered.

"Sorry, Lu-chan!" she called as she and Gajeel plunged into the ocean and began to race towards the shore.

"FFFFUUCK you!" Lucy called after the script mage, her face squished against the enchantment. The boat moved steadily forward and Gray took careful note of the fact that Natsu and Sophia were still pretty much down for the count. He smirked to himself as he prepared to jump into the water as soon as the enchantment was lifted.

He quickly grew tired of waiting and lost focus, much to his chagrin as he heard a splash from behind him and turned to see that the redheaded dragon slayer and her celestial partner were nowhere to be seen.

"Shit. Loke lets go!"

The two of them plunged into the water and quickly made their way to the island, running down the first path they saw that hadn't been taken already.

Lucy:

"Fuck. Shit. Fuck."

"Jesus Christ, Lucy, calm down, it's fine!" Cana berated the blonde.

Lucy took a deep breath and sighed as the two of them wandered through the cavernous tunnel. They had gotten to the island last and hadn't gotten to choose their path.

"I just feel like I could've done better! I just want to help you Cana. I wish I could write enchantments like Freed and Levy. That sounds so handy…" Lucy muttered in defeat, wishing she had the dedication to learn something as complicated as that.

"Well maybe when we get back you should try to," Cana suggested. "We can always improve on ourselves and if it's something you're genuinely interested in then it should be fun!"

Lucy smiled at the brunette and tried to hide her disappointment. She didn't want to be a debbie downer, they needed to stay positive if they wanted to win this thing.

"Hey, I think I see light up ahead...and voices," Cana whispered, leaning in close to the celestial spirit mage. Lucy quickly took hold of her keys and prepared for the worst. As they rounded the corner up ahead, Cana was proven right. Freed and Bixlow stood in the center of the cavern, waiting.

"Oh _fuck._ " Cana and Lucy declared in unison.

"Well, well, well. I must say, I didn't expect to have to face off with the two of you," Freed said with a smile.

"Very well then," he bowed slightly and then looked back up, straight into Cana's eyes, "Shall we begin?"

Before anyone could even blink, Cana and Lucy had whipped out their magic items and were casting spells left and right.

"Aries! Take out the guy with the tongue tattoo!"

"It's for my _babies_!" Bixlow exclaimed, outraged.

Aries knocked out each of his babies, who had to resort to pebbles and sticks as her wool knocked them to the ground where they shattered on impact.

"Your babies are gonna need some body mods of their own when we're done with them!" Lucy replied, smirking and touching her back to Cana's.

Cana had discovered Freed's weakness: women. She sent beautiful apparition after aspiration towards him, clad in swimsuits and heels and gowns, all fawning over him and surrounding him, glad to make room for the ever-increasing number. He managed to croak every now and again, but was unable to protect himself and soon collapsed onto the ground, panting, cheeks a bright shade of fuschia.

"F-fine! I give in! Surrender!" he snapped from his demeaning position on the ground, Bixlow lying near to him, clutching the broken remnants of his children. A loud popping noise resonated through the room and the four of them whirled to view a trap door creak open. Lucy and Cana made their way towards it, turning to wave at the two decimated boys behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Sophia:

She'd been walking for what felt like ages and there had been absolutely no sign of action.

"I really hope we didn't end up with the peaceful route," she muttered to Plue, who was waddling along in front of her.

"PUN!"

"Well, yeah, you're right I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but I really want to earn this."

"PUN PUN!"

"Yeah!" the fire dragon slayer said laughing, "good point."

The two rounded a turn in the large, red tunnel and were met with a cavernous opening that descended about ten feet until it met a flat, hard, gray expanse of stone.

"OH FUCK YEAH!" Sophia yelled as she made eye contact with the pink-haired fire dragon slayer who had entered the cave on the opposite side of the pit. His eyes glinted as he smirked and replied,

"YOU'RE GOING DOWN, FLAME BRAIN!"

"PUN PUN!"

Sophia and Natsu's faces reddened at the celestial spirit's rowdy comment, but the blue exceed rolled on the ground cackling until Natsu cleared his throat and nudged him. Sophia heard the pinkette whisper "Happy...you gotta come up with a comeback!"

His voice sounded urgent and Sophia stood across the pit trying to suppress her laughter.

"Take your time!" she called, much to Natsu's chagrin.

"Time's up!" Natsu retorted, his fists aflame.  
Sophia sneered and got into a fighting stance, her own fists catching light. The two of them leapt into the air at the same time, but before they could collide in midair, they were both thrown backwards by a powerful force that had emanated from the bottom of the expanse between them.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Natsu screeched while trying to right himself using the rough, red stone walls.

Sophia picked herself up and dusted off her white shorts, which were now covered in the red dirt that covered the ground.

"Do you smell something?" she heard Natsu call. Sophia shook her head to clear it and took in a deep breath through her nose. She could make out the clear earthy smell of the cavern, the scent of cinnamon and burning wood that followed Natsu everywhere, Happy's fishy odor, Plue's clean mint, and one other. She immediately recognized it.

"GILDARTS!" the two yelled in unison, once more making eye contact.

"Finally! I thought you guys weren't ever gonna realize I was here!"

Sophia peered down into the pit and made out the smirk on the older man's face.

"I suppose it's because you're just so infatuated with each other…" he whispered, but Sophia and Natsu heard, both turning red again. Happy's trademark cackling ensued. Natsu inched his way around the edge of the hole to come stand next to Sophia.

"So! How's this gonna work, old man!" he called down to Gildarts.

"Two on one! If the two of you can work as a team and beat me, then you pass the first trial! Your other partners can help too, but you both chose magical creatures…"

Sophia turned to make eye contact with Natsu and grinned. She cracked her knuckles and stood up straight, going back to back with Natsu.

"BRING IT ON, OLD MAN!" she yelled as the two dragon slayers leapt into the pit.


	7. Chapter 7

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Wendy:

"Mest, I'm so sorry! I was no help at all! You should've brought someone else…"

The blue haired sky dragon slayer was crouched on the ground in with her knees pulled into her chest, tears threatening to spill from her large, brown eyes.

"Hey now! You gave it your all. Gray and Loke are just some tough cookies, this is an S- Class competition after all!"

She looked up at the older man and smiled. He smiled in return, offering her a hand up. She took it, gladly, and was on her feet again in no time.

"Say, Wendy, do you know why this island is such a closely guarded secret?"

Wendy glanced at Mest curiously.

 _Does he actually expect me to know?_ she thought to herself.

"Well isn't it because the first master is buried here?"

He grinned at her with mischief in his eyes and said "No, no! Other than Mavis! There's supposedly some kind of hidden magic here!"

Wendy's face lit up at the thought, a hidden magic! Maybe it'd been created by Mavis herself, what if they found it?!

Mest glanced down at the younger mage and smiled again, adding "Wanna go explore?"

"For sure!" the sky dragon slayer exclaimed, her eyes glinting with excitement.

Natsu:

Natsu had to stop himself from glancing at Sophia as they battled. She was just so amazing to watch. He'd caught her looking at him once, that had felt good. Maybe she was thinking the same thing… _SHIT. NATSU PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!_ his brain screeched at him as he very narrowly dodged Gildarts powerful and menacing fist.

 _You gotta focus! Taking down Gildarts, AS A TEAM, is your priority right now! Not whether or not Sophia is looking at you!_

"Shit…" Natsu mumbled under his breath. He took a step back and raised his fists into a fighting position.

"That all you got?" he taunted, even though he was out of breath and already bruised and bloodied. Sophia was no better. Gildarts smiled and his eyes glinted with devilry.

"Haven't even broken a sweat, kid."

"Well neither have I!" Sophia yelled from across the cavern, where Gildarts' last elbow to the chin had knocked her.

"Ok well I'm not bleeding, then." the older mage retorted, stooping down to the teenagers antics.

"Neither am I!" she yelled back once more, with even more determination.

"Uh, Sophia?" Happy called from the top of the chasm, "you might wanna check again."

Suddenly she seemed to realize that the red stuff getting in her eyes was not her hair, and was in fact blood gushing from a gash across her forehead.

"Ah...never mind then," she said, smilingly sheepishly as she came to stand next to Natsu once more. Gildarts smirked and held up his own hands in a fighting position. Natsu glanced at the redhead once more and nodded at her, trying to communicate his new plan of attack. Her eyes flashed in understanding, and suddenly she was in the air and a giant ball of fire was descending on Gildarts. Natsu rushed head first into the inferno and yelled, "FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!" while Sophia simultaneously bellowed, "FIRE DRAGON EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"

Natsu's head rammed into Gildarts stomach, getting a loud grunt of displeasure, while Sophia's foot slammed into his chest, nudging the immovable Gildarts backwards. Sophia fell backwards onto Natsu, who had fallen onto the cold, stone floor. When the dust settled, the two set up, clutching onto each other, hoping the plan had worked. Gildarts began to guffaw when he realized what had happened.

"You pushed me back! At least a couple of feet!"

The older mage smiled, his white teeth shining in the gloom, and added, "You two have really grown up, haven't you?"

The two dragon slayers had shiteating grins on their faces, from ear to ear their mouths stretched and it was all they could do not to start cheering and racing around the edges of the crater.

"We haven't just been sitting on our asses while you've been away!" Natsu bragged, slapping Sophia on the back.

"At least not all of it, anyway," Sophia added.

Gildarts laughed once more and spread his arms open wide. "Well! As your supervisor, I'd usually say you pass."

"No way, we haven't beaten you yet!" Natsu called, racing towards Gildarts once more.

"I thought you might say that.." he muttered. Sophia was hot on Natsu's tail.

"That's why I won't go easy on you."

Natsu looked up just in time to see the older mage's face darken as the ground around him began to crumble and a massive amount of magic power formed an aura around him. He held out a single hand as Natsu unleashed a powerful fire dragon's roar, with Sophia repeating the move seconds later as she skidded to a stop next to the pinkette. Natsu heard Happy yell in fear as the flames in front of him divided into cubes. Natsu cursed under his breath and thought about running straight at him again, since it had seemed to work the first time. He began to turn to nod at Sophia again, but as he did he felt his body split into pieces. Suddenly he was 200 places at once; the cavern had been filled with pint sized copies of Sophia and Natsu, who were screeching their heads off.

"LETS GET HIM!" one of the Sophia's yelled, effectively rallying the swarm, who proceeded to launch themselves at Gildarts.

"I've..never been approached by an opponent in this state…" he mumbled as the many tiny mages set his eyebrows on fire and tugged at his face and clothes.

"OK, you two are even more annoying this way! Go back!" he clasped his hands together in front of him and suddenly the two mages resolidified into their normal sizes and dropped at his feet.

"I said I wasn't gonna go easy on you. I meant it. There's one more thing you both have yet to learn...know it."

The mage spread his hands apart and his aura reappeared, shaking the cavern and lifting the pebbles off the ground to shake in fear. Natsu felt his blood run cold and sweat began to drip from his forehead and onto the ground. He made an attempt to stand up after watching Sophia take a tentative step towards their opponent, but gravity and a weakness in his knees pulled him back down. Sophia fell to the ground at Gildarts feet, a trail of blood from the wound to her forehead behind her. Natsu's whole body felt like jelly, and his heart was going a mile a minute.

 _What's happening?_ he thought frantically. _Pull yourself together! We have to win this or we won't be S-Class!_

He looked up once more at Sophia, but the courage he had mustered fluttered out of him as he looked at Gildarts face. Sophia began to shake, but held her ground. She turned to look back at Natsu, and he nodded once they made eye contact: they had to surrender, they both knew it.

"We…lose."

"Wonderful!" Gildarts called out warmly, "I will not blame you for being brave and standing up to me, but those with the courage to resheath their blades are exceptionally rare." Gildarts took a step towards the two dragon slayers. "Fear is not evil, it is to no one's weakness. If you know your weakness, you can become strong _and_ gentle. That is what is necessary to become S-Class."

The older mage cracked a grin and pulled the two to their feet as he added, "Now you know. You pass," looking at each mage in turn.

"But-" Natsu began.

"Go. Your supervisor said you passed. Don't you have a competition to win?"

Natsu glanced over and smiled when he saw her own grin creeping back onto her face.

"Next time, I won't lose," she said, staring straight into Gildarts eyes.

"Yeah, me too."

Gildarts looked at Natsu and said, "Well I still don't plan on going easy on you...speaking as a friend and not a supervisor, I don't want to lose to the two of you, either."

Natsu grinned and grabbed Sophia's hand, pulling her along and out the other side of the cave, towards the smell of grass and water.

"C'mon! We got a competition to win!"

Sophia waved at Gildarts over her shoulder as they ran out of the cavern with Happy and Plue hot on their heels.

Natsu couldn't focus on anything but the way Sophia's hand felt in his. It fit perfectly, no fuss, like puzzle pieces. He almost sighed. He would never admit it to anyone but he secretly loved cute romantic things. This was like coke for his fluttery romantic's heart. He already knew he was going to obsess over it for months. He was a forward kind of guy, but with Sophia it was rare where their physical contact had significance to Natsu because of the frequency. _You could just tell her…_ He shook his head as if to shake the errant thought from his head. _Stupid. She probably likes Gray or Loke or something. You're just her best friend, don't ruin it._

Sophia:

 _He hasn't let go of my hand yet...We're holding hands._ Sophia's heart was still pumping with adrenaline but she couldn't tell if it was left over from the fight or from the proximity to Natsu. She inhaled deeply to catch a whiff of the cinnamon and campfire smell that Natsu gave off and smiled as it washed over her. She could feel all the calluses on the palm of his hand and subconsciously began to run her fingers over them, feeling the satisfying ridges that were the product of his daily training.

"Hey, that tickles…" he muttered. Sophia blushed beet red and mumbled a reply. He, however, didn't let go of her hand. She looked at the back of his head, hopefully, and an idea crossed her mind and she grinned. Leaning forward as quietly as possible, she reached her free hand around to Natsu's side and suddenly jabbed inwards, tickling him.

"HEY!" he screeched, but a smile was spread across his tan face and he was laughing uncontrollably after another couple of seconds. Their hands dropped, but Sophia tackled him and began to tickle him more fervently. She got lost in the moment, but only when she began to grow tired of the horse play did she realize the position she had gotten herself into. She was straddling him, pinning his hands to the ground with her feet. She felt a blush rise to her face once more and turned away slightly to hide it.

"Got you," she almost whispered, giggling.

"My turn."

Suddenly, her back was on the cool, dirt ground and her own arms were pinned under Natsu's feet, his hands jabbing into her sides as she howled in laughter. They stayed like this, until Happy and Plue rounded the corner. Natsu immediately stood up, and a bright red blush crossed his face as Happy began to shriek "They _liiiiike_ each other!"

"Of course we like each other, Happy," Sophia said grinning, "we're best friends."

 _You could be more._

Sophia's smile faded as she stared up at the dragon slayer standing over her and the disappointment washed over her.

"We should get going," Natsu muttered, offering her hand up. He trudged along ahead of her, with Happy by his side, talking in low voices that Sophia strained to hear but was unable to discern because of the echo of the stone walls.

"PUN?"

"Yeah… a bit."

"PUN PUN!"

"I don't think I could do that!" Sophia mumbled, with an expression of alarm plastered on her pretty face.

"Pun."


	8. Chapter 8

I just want to say that I would really appreciate feedback! I'm really trying to develop as a writer so it'd be awesome to hear what y'all think! :D Thank you!

Lucy:

"I wonder what could be taking everyone else so long…" Lucy muttered to Cana as they sat in the hot springs a couple of yards from the meeting spot. Cana glanced over at the younger, blonde mage and shrugged, grunting, "Might be we just out did them!"

Lucy turned away from the brunette, giggling and stepped out of the pool, reaching for her towel.

"Well at least three people ran into S-Class mages...it's likely that only a couple more people even made it through."

Lucy sighed, remembering their earlier battle. She had really given it her all, but she had a feeling that their opponents hadn't. She didn't know whether to be angry that they let them win or to be grateful for their empathy towards Cana. It was a bit of a double-edged sword: Cana really wanted to prove herself so that she could tell Gildarts who she really was, but they probably wouldn't have beaten Freed and Bickslow if they hadn't felt bad for Cana. The blonde shook her head slightly and pouted. _It wouldn't have even mattered if they'd given it their all if I still had Loke...I've gotten so much stronger, but I still use him as a crutch._

She sighed and began tugging on her khaki mini skirt, slipping into her dark blue Heart Kreuz tank top, and finally wrapping her belt tightly around her slim waist and securely fastening it with a reassuring pat to her key ring. _I really need you guys right now. I can't let Cana down._

"I'll catch up with you later!" Lucy called over her shoulder to Cana as she made her way down the dirt path, back to the group camp. She was surprised to find Sophia and Natsu there, she could usually hear the two of them coming from about a mile away.

"Oh hey! How long have you two been here?" she called to the dragon slayers. As she approached she realized the expressions on their faces were serious and almost despondent. She couldn't help but wonder who they might've faced.

"About half and hour now, I think," Sophia called in reply. The redhead was hanging upside down off a rock, staring straight ahead into the woods, with Plue resting on her bare, toned stomach.

"Is that a new outfit?" Lucy inquired of the female dragon slayer, who glanced down at her clothes as if she didn't realize she was wearing any.

"Oh! Yeah," she said, cracking a small grin, "I got dirt all over the other one."

Lucy smiled back and replied, "It's cute, I like it."

The blonde walked over and began to inspect it more thoroughly, focusing on the intricate embroidery on the jade green, silk top.

"Oh, they're dragons!"

The top had short cap sleeves that were edged in a darker green silk that matched the color of the embroidery thread, a diamond shaped cut out on the breasts, and scalloped edges that cropped the shirt in a v shape, leaving most of her midriff bare. She had paired it with black, high rise, athletic shorts. Lucy turned towards Natsu, who was sitting with his legs crossed next to the rock Sophia was hanging off of, his head hung low, seemingly deep in thought.

 _What's up with them?_ Lucy thought, almost irritated that she couldn't count on them to lift her spirits. _Well, it is a competition…_

She walked over to sit down next to Levy, who was arguing with Gajeel.

"What do you mean we got _lucky_!? I didn't get to punch anyone! That ain't lucky!" the iron dragon slayer grunted. Levy rolled her eyes and gave Lucy a flabbergasted look as she crouched next to the bluenette. "We got the peaceful route and he's _complaining_!"

Lucy let out a tiny laugh and mumbled, "I wish we'd gotten that!"

Levy looked at her curiously and nudged her with her shoulder.

"Who'd you beat up, Lu-chan?"

"Yeah, who dared cross paths with bunny girl, gihi!" Gajeel added with a smirk, earning him an elbow in the ribs from the small, script mage.

"We ran into Bickslow and Freed. Didn't think it was gonna turn out this way, to be honest," Lucy said, laughing and looking up into the clear blue sky.

"Ah, well you already beat up that puppet freak, I'm not surprised."

Lucy was startled by the dragon slayers comment.  
"How'd you know I battled Bickslow?"

"Are you kidding? Freed's score board gave us constant updates about the fights."

Lucy tilted her head to one side as a smile danced across her lips.

"Well I never thought that _you_ of all people would be telling me I could beat someone up."

"Gihi. I didn't either."

Gray:

Gray and Loke stepped out into the clearing and each took careful note of the mages that were present.

"Damn. I didn't expect this many to make it through…" Gray mumbled to Loke.

"Yeah, me either."

Gray spotted the Master emerge from a path that led into the woods and watched as he hopped up onto a tall boulder on the edge of the clearing.

"Alright!" the Master called, "I believe it's about time we start the next trial!"

"WAIT!"

Gray whirled around to spy the owner of the voice. Evergreen and Elfman stumbled into the clearing, clinging to one another.

"We're here! We made it!"

Gray glanced back at the Master, who looked dumbfounded.

"How the fuck did you get past Mirajane?" he grunted at them. Everyone in the clearing began to exclaim loudly, calling for an answer.

"Let's just say we struck when a lucky opportunity presented itself," Ever said a little sheepishly, a blush crawling across her regal face as she glanced up at Elfman.

"Well! Welcome to the party!" the Master called in response, "Lucy and Cana defeated Bickslow and Freed! Gray and Loke took down Mest and Wendy! Juvia and Lisanna had to face... _her_."

Gray glanced around the field, noticing for the first time that Juvia was not there. _She must not have given it her all…damn her. She could beat Erza if she really tried, she just can't get serious!_

He shook his head in frustration with his close friend. He just wanted her to prove her strength, but she accidentally held herself back a lot of the time. He had planned on offering to train with her, but when he had caught wind of the S-Class announcements he'd decided he needed to focus on his own magic, as much as he had secretly wanted some alone time with the water mage. She was actually fun to be around when she wasn't freaking out over him. She chilled out when they were alone, funny enough.

"Levy and Gajeel had the good fortune to select the 'peaceful route'-"

"It ain't lucky!" Gajeel yelled.

" _Ahem_. Sophia and Natsu miraculously made it past Gildarts."

Gray turned to gape in awe at the two dragon slayers sitting sullenly on the rocks. _HOW THE FUCK? How in holy fucking hell…_

Gray turned to Loke and understanding flashed between the two handsome boys. They weren't gonna let anything stop them; it didn't matter if Sophia and Natsu had taken down Gildarts, Gray and Loke would take them down. _Why do they seem to be in such sour moods then_ , Gray wondered, focusing back on the Master.

"Anyways, we will begin our second round! You will be hunting for the first Master's grave! I will be waiting for you there! Now, get going, brats!"

And with that, the Master flipped off of the rock, and as he was spinning, disappeared into the air with a _POP_.

Gray looked over at Lucy and could already see the gears turning in her head. She suddenly looked up and ran towards Cana.

"Loke," Gray whispered. The stellar spirit turned towards him, and Gray nodded in Lucy's direction. Loke followed his gaze and turned again to give Gray the thumbs up. They slunk back into the woods and crouched behind the bright green foliage. Lucy and Cana set off down the path, with Loke and Gray creeping along behind them.

Sophia:

"C'MON, THIS WAY PLUE!"

Sophia raced through the underbrush and towards the sound of Lucy and Cana's screams. She shimmied up a tree and spotted the head of the beast chasing them. She quickly jumped down and ran for an old, slanted oak tree covered in knots and peeling bark.  
"PUN!"

"TRUST ME!"

"Pun pun pun."

She raced up the trunk, her bare feet gripping the course, mottled bark, and when she came to the end, she leapt into the open air, sailing straight towards the top of the monster's head.

"GOTCHA!" she cheered as her flaming fist crashed into its forehead, sending teeth flying. The beast began to crumple, the ground rushing towards it, but Sophia once more soared into the air and landed with a roll at the two female mages feet. She looked up at them and grinned, adding, "Watch this!" as she raced back over to the fallen creature. She grabbed it by the neck and began to shake it, shouting, "WHERE'S THE FIRST MASTER'S GRAVE?"

Lucy and Cana stared at her, dumbfounded.

"She...she's talking to it," Lucy muttered.

"I don't know!" the beast sobbed.

"AND IT TALKED BACK!" Cana shrieked, jumping into the air in surprise.

A loud _CRACK_ rang out from nearby in the woods and Cana and Lucy fumbled for their magic, preparing for the worst. But it was only Natsu. He fell to the ground in front of them and jumped to his feet, turning towards the giant creature that had been chasing him a second before, but now found itself knocked out cold on the forest floor.

"What the hell are the two of them…" Cana muttered, frustration spread across her face.

"DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF MY EXAM!" Natsu yelled at the unconscious beast. It shuddered in response.

"GO NATSU GO!" Happy cheered as he ran around the pinkette in circles.

"You know, you can't question them if you knock them out!" Sophia called from the opposite side of the clearing, Plue dancing around her as well. Natsu's eyes widened and he screeched "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!"

He turned towards Happy and pointed at him.

"HAPPY! REMIND ME NOT TO HIT THEM SO HARD!"  
"AYE SIR!"

Sophia smiled and felt her heart flutter in her chest a little bit.

 _He's so cute…_ She suddenly felt herself blushing again.

 _I really need to get a hold on this blushing shit. Should I purposely get a sunburn?_

She stood there in thought for a couple seconds before realizing that the dragon slayer had raced off towards the head of another beast. She grinned once more and took a deep breath, preparing to set off again, when she caught a distinctive smell of spearmint. She took another whiff and picked up a strong citrus scent. _Gray? And Loke._

Sophia turned around and ripped the bush out of the ground, tossing it over her shoulder, unveiling the two boys crawling military style through the brush.

"HA!"

"Aw, shit."

Sophia offered the ice mage and the king of the zodiac a hand up.

"Are y'all following Lucy?"

Gray smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"We're pretty sure she's the only one who could even come close to figuring it out," Loke replied.

"Except maybe Levy," Gray added.

"I'm just sniffing it out," the dragon slayer grinned.

Levy:

"C'mon, pipsqueak! Hurry up! You wanna win, don't you?" the iron dragon slayer teased from a couple of yards ahead of the much shorter girl.

"Of course I want to win! But I can't go that fast!" she squealed with irritation while jogging to catch up with Gajeel for the third time since they'd set out. She was tired of his attitude. Or was she. Every other second she wanted to punch that smug grin off of his face… or maye kiss it? _Oh god._

She blushed at the thought of pressing her lips against the dragon slayers. They were probably warm and rough. She wondered if he had a tongue piercing. And then she thought about how that might feel. _STOP IT YOU CAN'T DO THIS RIGHT NOW_.

Levy shook the thought from her head and trudged forwards, passing the dragon slayer.

"It's too damn quiet! What's with this test! Pick a path, find a grave! I just wanna punch Salamander and Erza and Sophia!"

Levy looked back at him, her face warped into a glare of annoyance.  
"So you don't care about me!?"

"I never said that!"

"But all you do is fight everyone!"

Levy crossed her arms and added, "You never even look at me."

Gajeel grinned and retorted, "You want some attention, shrimp? Then fight seriously with me! Get stronger!"

The iron dragon slayer vigorously patted her head. Levy looked down and mumbled, "No...I can't. I'm small and weak."

She suddenly couldn't take it anymore and burst, running away from the larger man, shouting, "I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! STUPID GAJEEL!"

"What'd you say!?"

Levy didn't turn to reply, just kept running.

 _I actually thought he was turning into a good person! What a jerk! I hate him!_

Her thoughts were disrupted by a rustling in the grass on the side of the path. She looked around and tentatively called out, "Gajeel?"

Suddenly two dark figures burst out onto the path, racing towards Levy, who was caught completely off guard. She stumbled away from them, falling as a katana passed through where her stomach had been seconds earlier.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

The blue haired mage got no reply, just the cold feeling of talons clutching her arms, raising her up off of the ground. She began to scream as the katana rushed towards her face. She faintly heard the figure declare, "You first."

She closed her eyes as the blade got closer and closer, but the blow never came. She heard the loud _CLINK_ of metal on metal.

Levy opened her eyes and sa Gajeel standing over her, the katana caught in his iron arm.

"Its hard looking for someone so small," he grunted, "so don't leave my side."

Levy nodded, her face turning slightly pink once more. The two mages faced their opponents back to back, glaring them down.

"And...Who are you guys?" Gajeel called out to them. One was a humanoid rooster, the other a humanoid goat. Both wore a samurai's armor. Levy noticed the guild crest emblazoned on the front of the goat's chest plate and turned to see the same mark on the rooster's long neck. Gajeel realized the same instant she did and they mumbled, "Grimoire Heart…" in unison.

"A dark guild...What is the strongest dark guild doing on our island?" Levy added, glancing back at Gajeel. They made eye contact and Gajeel replied,

"Maybe Master set up a dark guild for the exam?"

"No. He wouldn't. These guys must have snuck in from somewhere."

"Well," Gajeel grumbled, a smirk spreading across his rough but handsome face, "If you're gonna be S-Class I'm sure you're gonna face a lot of extra trouble while you're working."

Levy let herself smile and said, "If I can't clean up a mess this small, then I guess I shouldn't be an S-Class mage anyways," she frowned once more, "But this is Grimoire Heart. A corner of the Balam Alliance...we shouldn't go attacking them arbitrarily."

"Ha!" the goat man exclaimed, "As expected of a normal guild! Rules, rules, rules! So suffocating!"

The rooster added, "There are no rules in war," sending a shiver up Levy's spine.

"War?"

"What's your goal!?"

Levy backed into Gajeel as the rooster launched into the air, screeching, "TO POACH ALL THE FAIRIES ON THIS ISLAND!"


	9. Chapter 9

Natsu:

Natsu eyed the canopy of trees above him suspiciously, bringing his hand up to his chin and squinting his eyes against the harsh rays of sun that broke through.

"Hey, Happy," he called, looking over his shoulder at the exceed. "Remember how the island was shaped again?"

A mischievous grin crossed his face and the two yelled together, "THERE'S A WHOLE OTHER ISLAND ON TOP!"

"Good thing I chose you as my partner, Happy! No one else is gonna be able to get up there."

Happy smiled at Natsu over his shoulder as the two soared up into the sky.

Sophia:

"Plue, I think we're lost…"

"Pun."

"It isn't _my_ fault!"

"Pun, _pun_."

Sophia leaned down so she was at face level with the white dog and stuck her tongue out. They had wandered into a clearing, a giant tree trunk to Sophia's back. She turned around to face it and peered up, her eyes following the calloused surface of the ancient bark until it disappeared up into the clouds.

"I think this is the Tenrou tree…" she muttered to no one in particular. Plue had wandered off and was attempting to communicate with a bee through one of his newly perfected dances, but it wasn't really going anywhere. Sophia chuckled and took a deep breath, inhaling the earthy scent of the tree. It relaxed her, soothed her anxiety, put her mind at ease. That is, until another smell mingled with the scent of the wood. The smell of death: rotten, old, decaying, decrepit. It crawled up her nose and stung like a corpse was clawing at her face.

"Plue!" she called, whirling around to press her back against the immense trunk. The stellar spirit looked up and began to bound back towards her, through the field of daisies that separated them, when a dark figure approached from the forest surrounding them.

"I didn't think there would be people here…" the man whispered to himself. His eyes were to the ground. He had yet to look up at Sophia.

"Who are you?" she called, making sure her voice was strong and commanding. She stepped away from the trunk, her fists balled at her sides.

"Plue...stay back," she mumbled to the spirit, who had wrapped himself around one of her calves and was shaking inconsolably.

The man suddenly looked up and Sophia felt as if time had been stopped. The leaves on the trees fell in slow motion as she stared deep into his dark, onyx colored eyes, eyes that sucked her in like a black hole. They widened as he looked into her own, emerald green eyes, as if he recognized her.

"You…" he started, a tear threatening to tumble from his left eye, a smile spread across his face. "Sophia..it's you."

His eyes suddenly widened again, but this time concern flashed across his face. "If you're here...then Natsu is here," he muttered, looking down at the ground once more. His eyes flashed with anger and Sophia watched as the grass around him withered and died, turning a dark, bitter brown wherever he stepped. Sophia's own expression darkened, her mood souring and the surprise leaving her, to be replaced by anger.

"You're not from Fairy Tail."

He looked up, back into her eyes.

"Oh... I guess this island is administered by a guild…" he whispered to himself once more, though Sophia had no issue hearing it loud and clear. She took a step forward and yelled, "HEY, YOU-" before she was interrupted by the man.

"NO. DON'T COME NEAR ME," he said forcefully and loudly, his arm stretched out in front of him.

Sophia's steps faltered, confusion taking the place of anger.

"What are you talking about?!" she yelled. _Crazy fucking asshole, what the hell._

"Fine, I'll leave," the man announced. "Just, please, don't come near me."

He looked at Sophia pleadingly.

"What?! No! You're not gonna just waltz out of here without a fight!" she retorted. Suddenly the man dropped to his knees, and she rushed forwards, only to elicit loud screams of "BACK! GET BACK!" from the man. She stopped about a foot away from him and watched in horror as he began to shake his head and scream, "N...no! It's coming. The death preying...it's coming!"

A black orb appeared around his shaking form, expanding outwards slowly, causing Sophia to step back. As she did, it gained speed and a shrill whirring noise like something storing energy began to grate against her ears. The orb grew to be 8 feet around when it suddenly exploded, an unstoppable black wall of magic rushing straight towards Sophia's face.

Elfman:

Elfman glanced over his shoulder at the giant, green monster chasing him. He caught sight of Evergreen and slowed his pace slightly so she could catch up, and as she sped in front of him, screeching all the while, he grabbed her hand and surged forward with a new burst of energy.

"HURRY THE HELL UP!" he howled at the pretty woman.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN ORDER ME AROUND!" she screeched back, but nonetheless her pace quickened to match the takeover mage's. Elfman glanced back once more and his eyes widened in terror as he saw the beast raise a clawed foot into the air. He grabbed Evergreen around the waist and made a mad dash to the side, jumping out of the way and into a clearing just in time. Before he could figure out what was happening, someone had pinned him to the ground and Sophia had appeared next to him in the grass, pinned by the same person. Ever was underneath him, screaming obscenities.

Elfman glanced up and over his shoulder in an attempt to see who had trapped him against the ground. Ever beat him to it.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL GET THE HELL OFF OF US!" she screeched. Natsu paid the woman no attention, his eyes clearly fixed on a dark figure crouched on the ground about 10 feet away from them. Elfman followed his gaze. The man on the ground had hair as dark as the night sky and eyes that matched. He was looking straight at Natsu as he stood and began to cry.

"Natsu…"

The dragon slayer stood, a furious look on his tan face.

"Who the hell are you?"

Elfman saw Evergreen's outraged face soften into concern as she realized something serious was going on.

"Natsu...where'd you come from?" she asked tentatively.

Elfman added, "Yeah, don't surprise me like that…"

The white haired take over mage glanced over at Sophia, remembering she was there when a flash of her bright red hair caught his eye. Her mouth was pressed into the fresh dirt, but he could faintly make out the slur of obscentities she was yelling into the earth, her eyes mirroring her mouth's hostility. Suddenly, Natsu was no longer pressing Elfman into the ground, but was in front of him, with the female dragon slayer's foot on the back of his head, his face being pushed into the ground. Evergreen sat up and dusted herself off, muttering about how unlady like Sophia was behaving. Happy burst through the canopy of leaves above, yelling for Natsu.

"What happened to going to the top!?"

Sophia glanced up at the blue furball and reluctantly removed her foot from Natsu's head so that he could reply. The male dragon slayer sat up and spat dirt out at Sophia before turning to Happy, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head, and replying, "I don't know what's going on but...I suddenly got a really creepy feeling."

Happy began to more closely inspect the clearing, and suddenly realized that all the plant life had died, leaving a dead, brown ring around the four mages.

"What! What is this!" he squeaked, huddling closer to Sophia's legs.

Evergreen shuddered as she added, "All the trees in this area have withered…"

Happy glanced up at the dark mage standing across the clearing from them, who was still engaged in a serious staring contest with Natsu.

"Was it his magic that did this?"

Evergreen nodded and said, "He doesn't seem to be your run of the mill mage."

Sophia nodded solemnly and scooped Happy up and placed him on her head, then she picked up Plue and cradled him in her arms. Happy looked down at the scene with jealousy clearly evident in his eyes. She took a bold step forward and yelled, "I don't know who you are, but this is our guild's island!"

Natsu followed suit and agreed, crossing his arms and shouting, "And don't get in the way of our exam!"

The dark mage smiled at the two of them, more tears streaming down his cheeks as he muttered, "My...you've really grown."

Natsu grit his teeth.

"I've been wanting to see the two of you...especially you, Natsu."

Natsu's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and before Elfman knew what was going on, Natsu had rushed forward and punched the man square in the jaw, sending him flying backwards into the ground. He glanced over to see an evil glint in Sophia's eyes as she jumped up and down, egging him on. Elfman muttered, "She's more than a real man...a man's man."

Evergreen grimaced.

The man regained his composure right before he crashed into the Earth, a big grin still spread across his face.

"I don't know you!" Natsu yelled, pointing his index finger at the intruder. "What's your name?!"

The man's smile faded as more tears streamed down his soft face. He looked down, a pout spread across his face instead.

A bead of sweat rolled down Happy's face as he whispered, "He's crying?"

Sophia nodded and retorted, "He's been doing that since I got here."

Evergreen shivered and muttered, "What a creepozoid."

The man suddenly clutched the sides of his head as if in searing pain and screamed, "RUN!"

Sophia's eyes widened and she stepped in front of the rest of the group, swinging her arm out to her side horizontally and yelled over the man's screams, "THE BLACK WAVE THING IS MAGIC THAT TAKES AWAY LIFE! EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

The man let out a final yell as the black aura erupted from him once more. Elfman and Evergreen dove to the side, dragging a screaming Happy along with them, as Sophia blocked Natsu from stepping in front of her while he yelled her name. Almost as quickly as it had come on, the aura disappeared, leaving the clearing even more dead and destroyed.

Sophia stood in front of Natsu, his scarf wrapped around her neck, as he clutched onto her arm in a last ditch effort to drag her away from the blast zone. Happy whizzed over to the two of them as fast as his wings could carry him. The two dragon slayers looked into each other's eyes, bewildered.

"We're completely fine, don't worry Happy!" Natsu called to his feline friend. Sophia nodded and added, "More importantly...he disappeared?"

"What the hell!" Elfman grunted as Evergreen looked around wildly, as if she was expecting him to rematerialize in front of her.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed, "your scarf!"

Sophia and Natsu glanced down at the scarf around her neck.

"ITS BLACK?!" they screeched in unison.

"YOUR BRACELET TOO!" Happy added, pointing at the dragon tooth bracelet Sophia wore on her upper left arm, underneath her bright red guildmark. The teeth were normally an old yellow color, but they were now a jetblack that matched the intruder's hair and eyes. Natsu's eyes narrowed in anger and he reached out and pinched the scarf between his thumb and forefinger, growling.

"IGNEEL GAVE ME THIS SCARF! YOU BASTARD!" he yelled as he raised his other fist into the air and shook it.


	10. Chapter 10

GAJEEL:

Gajeel's eyes widened as the Grimoire Heart member fell through the air, his katana pointed right at Gajeel's face. A noise as loud as thunder rang out and he noticed Levy cowering behind him, her hands pressed against her ears in a desperate attempt to stop the wall of sound. Suddenly, words appeared in front of the man.

"He uses word magic! Just like you!" he called over his shoulder to Levy.

"It's solid script from the orient!" she called back over her own shoulder. Gajeel gave in and pressed his own hands over his ears, screaming "SHADDUP!" at the top of his lungs in the general direction of the opponent. Gajeel couldn't figure out what the deal was; the mage hadn't moved after he had cast the sound script. Should he attack?

He could have sworn he faintly heard someone calling his name, but he was hesitant to take his eyes off the solid script mage in front of him.

"GAJEEL!" Levy screamed as she yanked him out of the way of the talons of the second Grimoire Heart mage. They fell into the grass together, dirt flying up around them. Gajeel looked up, only to see a wall of flaming eggs shooting towards him.

"EGGS?!" he raged.

They bombarded the iron dragon slayer and the blue-haired solid script mage, pushing them apart. Gajeel quickly leapt to the side as a katana blade barely missed his shoulder. He whirled around to face his attacker, muttering, "Dammit! It's so loud I can't even hear footsteps!"

He dodged again, leaping up. He landed and narrowly avoided being beheaded. He watched a couple strands of his hair float away in the wind.

Levy got up and ran a couple of feet away from him, a look of determination on her face.

"SILENT SCRIPT!" she yelled as the large, block letters thumped onto the ground in front of her, completely stopping the blaring scream emanating from the other solid script as the two words crashed into each other and dissolved.

Gajeel slowly brought his hands down from his ears, grunting.

"The sound is back to normal…"

The Grimoire Heart script mage stared her down, outrage plastered across his ugly features.

"YOU CANCELLED OUT MY WORD!" he screeched angrily.

Gajeel's eyes glinted as he whirled around to face the mage, yelling, "I HEARD THAT!"

His iron fist crashed into the enemy's stomach, sending him flying back.

"Gihi."

The other mage readied another shower of eggs, but as they shot towards the two Fairytail wizards, Levy cast solid script fire, turning the eggs to ash before they could reach them.

The enemy mage's jaw dropped in defeat and his partner wildly swung his katana around, howling, "HOW DARE YOU!"

He began to rapidly cast solid scripts that flew through the clearing and sliced through the surrounding trees. Gajeel barely dodged one, but as he came back to a standing position, realized there was another one coming straight for him. He put up his iron arm in a block, but as the spells collided, he felt a deep cut appear in his arm, sending a spurt of blood out. Gajeel let out a surprised grunt.

Levy attempted to block another shower of eggs, but the mage had multiplied the amount by ten fold and they came crashing down onto her. She crumpled to the ground, desperately trying to avoid being hit.

Gajeel's breathing was heavy and he was panicking. _This guy is cutting right through my iron scales…_

Gajeel's breath caught in his throat as another flash of the katana caught his eye and a sharp pain blossomed in his side. He had been hit. Blood rushed from the wound and he contorted his face in pain, clutching at his abdomen. He faintly heard the man saying, "dark sword…" and Levy scream "NO!" from across the field.

The man rushed towards Gajeel while screaming, "BITING ECHO!" and then he was on the ground, his head cracking against a rock beneath him. The grass rose up around him and Levy screamed his name at the top of her lungs.

The two Grimoire Heart mages stood above him, talking amongst themselves.

"If this is the level they're all at, then we can probably take care of them before the main squad even arrives…"

Gajeel smiled and shakily pressed a hand against the ground and slowly raised his head to look them in the eyes, laughing.

"Did you say...main squad?" he struggled. "Gihi…"

The first mage smirked and muttered to his friend, "Ha! Looks like he's still breathing."

The second looked at Gajeel.

"I'm talking about our guild."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"The entire Grimoire Heart Guild."


	11. Chapter 11

Wendy:

The sky mage looked up in surprise as a bright red flare whistled into the sky and exploded in a shower of sparks. Wendy racked her brain trying to think of what red meant: yellow meant return to camp...green meant someone had won...red meant...

She sighed as her mind failed to fill in the blank.

"Hey, Wendy," Mest called from the opposite side of the clearing, the blood red sky drawing his attention away from a particularly fascinating rock, "Do you know what that means?"

She shook her head in reply. She turned to look out over the cliff edge next to her, craning her neck to peer into the dark, blue water hundreds of feet below. The sun had started to set, casting a glow over the sea and giving Wendy an ethereal glow. She put her hand up to shield her eyes from a couple of harsher rays, and spotted two black dots on the horizon. They were growing rapidly, until suddenly they had swooped her off of her feet. She looked back and saw Carla, a look of pure disgust on her face. The exceed set her down on the ground about ten feet from her place on the cliff, across the clearing from the other mage.

"WENDY STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" she yelled frantically, pointing at Mest, as Pantherlily transformed into his battle form and stood protectively between the two humans.

"Carla! Lily! What are you doing here?" Wendy yelped in surprise. "That's Mest! He's been a member of the guild forever!"

Pantherlily smirked and took a couple of steps towards Mest, carefully scrutinizing his face before reaching a satisfactory conclusion. He casually unsheathed his sword from its holster on his back, twirling it in his hand a couple of times before looking straight into Mest's eyes.

"It was clever, using memory magic, saying that you were Mystogan's pupil...but I know the man. He never would have taken an apprentice with the weight he already carried on his shoulders. Who are you really?"

As Pantherlily finished his sentence, a smile began to creep onto the man's face, and before Lily could figure out what was happening, he was gone. There was a loud crash behind Lily and then fire and smoke.

"WENDY!" Carla screamed at the top of her lungs, flying towards the young dragon slayer.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Pantherlily yelled at the man, who was holding Wendy behind him.

The man looked at the exceed and scoffed.

"What's it look like? I'm saving her life."

Lily realized what had happened. There was a smoking crater in the ground where Wendy had stood. He whirled around, frantically looking for the origin of the explosion. Mest stepped away from Wendy, a smug look on his ruggedly handsome face.

"Looks like Fairy Tail just made my job easier!"

A dark looked flashed in Lily's eyes and a rage took him over as he lifted Mest up by the front of his shirt and slammed him into a large tree.

"Who are you," he growled.

Mest raised his hands in mock defense and grunted, "Alright! Alright, I give in!"

Lily let him drop to the ground, a cloud of dirt rising around the man. He stood up and began dusting himself off, shooting Lily a dirty look.

"I'm Doranbolt, soon to be Division Head of the Rune Knights, especially after this fiasco. Fairy Tail is dead."

He looked Wendy in the eyes and muttered, "You've caused enough trouble. And now on top of your destructive habits, you've led a dark guild straight to your sacred island."

Wendy's eyes widened in surprise and she yelped, "A dark guild?" before her whole world went sideways.

Dirt flew into the air and trees shot upwards and came crashing back down as the four attempted to dodge the carnage.

Doranbolt immediately ran for Wendy, shielding her from the rubble raining down on them. He faced a particularly large tree that had been unaffected by the attack and yelled, "WHO ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF!"

Before her eyes, the tree's surface began to bubble and mold as a face slowly appeared, and then an arm, and a leg, and a torso, until a man had stepped out from the ancient oak.

"Good job finding me," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He had caramel colored skin and dark auburn hair, a single earring in his left ear, muscular arms and a rock hard chest that bulged against his tight, green muscle tank trimmed in burnt orange. His tan boots were scuffed and covered in dust from the rocks that had been destroyed by the explosions. He walked forward confidently, kicking a pebble towards Doranbolt as he moved.

"My name is Azuma. I am one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Wendy brought a shaky hand up to her mouth as she exclaimed, "That's Grimoire Heart!"

Carla muttered, "The dark guild…" in reply and stepped closer to Wendy.

Doranbolt looked at Wendy and said, jokingly, "I guess red means enemy attack."

The girl managed a weak smile.

"I suppose I should tell you that it's too late now...hmph," Azuma said with a bored expression on his face.

Lily stomped a foot in frustration. "JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!"

Doranbolt turned away and began to laugh.

"When I infiltrated Fairy Tail's holy land, I figured a few questionable things would come crawling out of the woodwork, but Grimoire Heart on top of the Black Mage Zeref?!"

He turned and smiled coyly at Lily.

"Lady luck must be shining on me today."

He stepped forward and rubbed his hands together.

"Thankfully, I decided it would be a good idea to have the Council's Main Force Arrest Squad Battleship waiting nearby. I'm arresting all of you and crushing that demonic heart of yours into pieces."

Wendy shivered, her mind wandering away from Doranbolt's monologue, the word Zeref echoing through her brain.

Azuma, however, was intently listening.

"Battleship?" he mused. His eyes glinted as he whispered, "What battleship?" as an explosion rang out across the clearing and waves fifty feet high began to crash against the side of the cliffs. A mushroom cloud billowed up from the ocean about a mile offshore as the four wizards looked on in horror.

"Now then!" Azuma called out, stepping closer to the group, "Would you mind if I did my job now, Mr. Official?"

Natsu:

"Uh...Where'd Elfman and Evergreen go?" Natsu mumbled, spinning around in a circle.

"I bet they're kissing!" Happy squeaked, causing Sophia to giggle as the two of them chorused, "They _liiiiiiike_ each other!"

Natsu grinned and laughed at the two of them.

They were walking down a beaten path of weeds and granite, dust rising and coating their sandals with each step. The red flare still burned in the sky.

"Where are _we_ going is a better question," Sophia mumbled from behind the pink haired mage.

"We're going where the bad guys are!" Natsu replied happily.

Happy crossed his arms and grunted, "Well we have no idea where they are!"

A ringing noise suddenly filled the dragon slayers' ears, and seconds later an explosion shot up, leaving a red and orange streak in the sky and smoke spreading out over the treetops.

Sophia grinned and yelled, "FOUND 'EM!" before she sprinted into the woods, straight towards the massive explosion. Natsu grinned as she looked back at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along faster. Happy smirked and gave him a knowing look, which Natsu did his best to ignore. Now was not the time.

Lucy:

Lucy slowly blinked her eyes open and rubbed the sleep out of them. Her head was resting against a large boulder, the rest of her splayed out in the grass. What had happened? Where was she? Did she have her keys?!

She frantically reached down to make sure they were still securely attached to her hip. As soon as her fingers brushed against them, she relaxed and began to sit up, trying to remember what had happened. She brought a hand up to her chin in thought, before leaping to her feet and shouting, "CANA!"

Lucy scowled, remembering how the card mage had tricked her into telling her where Mavis' grave was and then knocked her out.

"Why I outta…" she growled under her breath, beginning to walk back towards the path. The red flare was still glowing in the sky and Lucy suddenly felt like she was being watched. The flare had reminded her that there were enemies on the island...and she was all alone. She shivered, hurrying back to the path as fast as she could.

 _Snap_.

Lucy turned.

 _Snap._

She knew she had heard it the second time. There was something creeping through the brush behind her. She reached for her keys, taking out Scorpio's, before yelling, "I know you're there! Show yourself!"

A large, chubby man dressed as a sumo wrestler stumbled out of the brush, tripping on a root as he went and landed at Lucy's feet.

"AH!" the blonde yelled, jumping away from the man.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" she screeched, looking around wildly for other enemies.

He sloppily got to his feet and dusted himself off, eyeing Lucy wearily. She took another step back, but her heel caught a rock in the path and she went tumbling backwards, landing with a thud against a tree stump. She blinked her eyes sluggishly, attempting to orient herself.

"TAKE THAT!" the man suddenly shouted, his large foot racing towards Lucy's face.

"AH!" Lucy screamed again, barely managing to dodge his powerful attack. A large boot print appeared in the ground where she had been. The man growled in frustration and turned towards her again.

"What's going on? Who are you?" Lucy asked as she scrambled backwards.

She felt a wave of fear pass through her as the man loomed over her. Lucy realized that the man could have gotten Cana.

"If only she had chosen a better time for a self- discovery journey…" Lucy muttered under her breath as she got to her feet and pointed a finger accusingly at the man and shouted, "WHERE'S CANA? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"

The man raised an eyebrow and replied, sullenly, "I have no idea."

Lucy took a step forward and tried again, more forcefully, "Where's. Cana. What happened to her?"

He sighed and muttered, "I'm telling you, I really don't know, but it doesn't matter anyways…" a dark look crossed his face and suddenly the air around the spirit mage grew cold and the forest felt dark and foreboding. She clutched her keys to her chest as the man whispered, "Because you're going to die right here."

Lucy immediately got into a fighting stance and glared the man down. He jumped and ran behind the nearest tree, threatened by her new attitude.

Sweat was visibly pouring down his face as he squeaked out, "G-g-g-g-glaring at me like that isn't going to get you anywhere! I-I-I-I'm Kain Hikaru, of the Seven Kin of Grimoire Heart!"

He reached up to wipe his nose on his sleeve

"I'm really strong!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and replied, coolly, "The strength of my opponent does not matter."

A visible shiver ran down Kain Hikaru's spine as the girl proudly declared, "If anyone dares oppose our guild, I'll take them on as an opponent!"

She stepped forward, clenching her fist in front of her, and yelled, "BRING IT ON!"

"Ok...Give me some of your hair."

Lucy stood there, dumbfounded by her enemies odd request.

"Why would I give you my hair? You're bound to use it for some evil purpose."

"No! No. Nothing like that."

The man held up a doll as he said this and gestured to it.

"Mr. Cursey just needs some of your hair to work."

"MR. CURSEY?!"

"If I put some of your hair on this doll, Mr. Cursey, I'll be able to manipulate your movements! This is my super powerful, evil curse magic."

"Um...hearing that definitely doesn't make me want to give you my hair."

Hikaru made a pained expression, his mouth dropping open into a gape.

"Don't tell me you just realized that…" the blonde said, sighing and rubbing her forehead to relieve the oncoming headache. She suddenly perked up as an idea popped into her head. She smiled to herself and added, slyly, "Say, I've never even heard of that kind of magic. I bet you're bluffing."

"What?! No!" the man said, clearly offended that she would doubt Mr. Cursey.

"Here, I'll stick my hair on him and you give it a try. You'll see."

He shoved the doll into her hands, his dark brown hair bobbing in the wind from the top of Mr. Cursey's bald head. Lucy excitedly spun it around and then slammed it into the ground. She began to contort the doll into various poses, Kain Hikaru quickly following suit and screeching in pain.

"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!"

As he fell to the ground from the most recent split/ handstand he had been forced into, he managed to snatch the doll from Lucy's hands. He quickly righted himself and glared at her.

"Now I'm pissed! You're about to see just how merciless I can be."

And with that, he leapt into the air towards the stellar spirit mage, who took off running.

"Open! Gate of the Bull! Taurus!" Lucy yelled as she ran, spinning as Taurus launched himself towards the enemy. Kain Hikaru calmly held up a palm, and Taurus crashed into it at top speed. He was sent flying backwards, a mournful moo escaping his lips.

"No way! He beat Taurus in power?" Lucy muttered to herself, increasing her speed once again.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" he howled after her.

"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" Lucy called out frantically. She turned around, expecting Kain Hikaru to come tumbling to a stop at her feet.

"Aim for the legs!" she said as Sagittarius fired round after round. Her triumph was short lived, as Kain Hikaru kicked back the arrows. They came flying back towards the blonde, who very narrowly managed to avoid them. Several nicked her arms and legs, sending little trickles of blood down her limbs.

"Shit! Open, Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio!"

Scorpio appeared in front of her, protectively.

"Sand Buster!" he called out confidently. The attack zoomed towards the enemy, but, again, Kain Hikaru calmly put a hand up and the attack dematerialized. He rushed forwards and sent the blonde flying through the woods, screeching at the top of her lungs.


	12. Chapter 12

Sophia:

Sophia suddenly stopped, causing Natsu to bowl into her. They went tumbling through the brush and rolled into a clearing, loudly cursing at each other and attempting to untangle their limbs.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsu shrieked, rubbing his head and groaning as he sat up slowly, giving Sophia a side eye. She had scrambled to her feet quickly and was peering around the clearing, sniffing and listening intently.

"Uh, hello? Flame brain?" he asked again, trying to rouse her from her search. She made no move to reply, only continuing her search with more fervor. She walked up to a giant tree and she spun around, her eyes wide and excited.

"Natsu! Don't you smell that?"

He got up and trudged over to her, leaning over her to smell the tree.

"The old man!" he exclaimed as the smell reached him. Sophia nodded excitedly, before launching herself up the tree trunk. She came crashing back down to the forest floor with a glass sphere ramming into her chest. A woman appeared in the branches of the tree, a man slung over her shoulders.

"You're a woman?" Natsu asked incredulously, "If not, that's some seriously good face paint you got there."

"I AM A WOMAN!" she yelled exasperatedly. Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think a real woman would get so defensive…"

The woman rolled her eyes and leapt down from the tree, landing next to Sophia, who had just managed to get to her feet.

"Those things pack a hell of a punch!" she said, grinning. "Time to settle the score, old man!"

The woman closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides, the man's limp body sliding off of her shoulders and hitting the ground with a gentle thud. "I. Am. A. Woman."

Sophia crossed her arms and leaned back a bit.

"Nah, I don't buy it. It's impressive, but I never forget a smell."

Natsu started to eye the man on the ground, suddenly recognizing his smell. He stepped in front of Sophia protectively.

"Who is that?" he grunted, nodding at the man on the ground, interrupting the bickering between the two women. Sophia seemed to only then realize there was a fourth person, but her face immediately darkened as she spotted his mop of shaggy, midnight hair.

The woman grinned maliciously.

"This," she kicked the man, "is the Dark Lord Zeref."

The dragon slayers' eyes widened in horror just as Happy came zooming into the clearing.

"You two have to stop disappearing on me like that!"

Sophia glanced up at Happy and mumbled an apology before whirling around, realizing Plue was nowhere to be seen.

"Happy! Where's Plue?!"

"Huh? Oh! He went back to the Spirit World. Lucy seems to be using a lot of magic right now."

Sophia furrowed her eyebrows in worry. Who could Lucy be facing off against? She had just run into a woman who could incapacitate the Dark Lord Zeref...who knew what else these people could do.

"Speaking of Lucy…" Natsu mumbled as she came tumbling through the brush, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The woman in front of them pressed a hand to her temples and mumbled, "Children…"

"You're only like 4 years older than me!" Sophia retorted. The woman gave her a bored look. "That's far too few."

Lucy scrambled between the two, attempting to escape from a large man dressed as a sumo wrestler, who was brandishing a doll in front of him threateningly. She got to her feet quickly and sent an arrow flying towards the doll, Sagittarius appearing out of nowhere. The arrow found its mark and the doll went sailing into the trees.

"Kain Hikaru!" the woman said, smiling. "I have completed phase one of the mission. Hold these three off while I bring Lord Zeref to Master Hades."

"Hey now!" Natsu interjected. "There's an even number now! You can't just leave!"

Lucy stood next to the pink-haired man and elbowed him in the side, hard.

"I'm here too, asshole."

He glanced down at Lucy and said, mockingly, "Ah, nevermind then."

Sophia snorted, but began to run, screaming, as Lucy chased her around the clearing with her whip.

"Hey! Luce!" the redhead called as the two ran in circles, "What if, hear me out here, what if, as a part of our deal, if I go through with my end of the bargain, you have to ask out Loke!"

The blonde picked up her pace, her face pink and steaming. "YOU'RE SO LUCKY I'M NOT AN ASSHOLE! I WOULD RUIN YOU RIGHT NOW IF I WAS!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what this deal could be. Before he could ask, he noticed the woman taking leave. Natsu began to follow her, but as he made a move, a flaming fist suddenly shot in front of him, barely missing him. Sophia stood next to him, a shell-shocked look on her face.

"Uhhh...I didn't do that."

"Shit! Sophia, it's the doll!"

Lucy pointed toward Kain Hikaru, who had recovered the creepy puppet. There was a single, cherry-red hair sticking out of the top of it. Natsu narrowly dodged as Sophia leapt forward, her foot speeding towards his chest. She spun around, managing to land a blow on Lucy that sent her flying into a tree.

"LUCY!" Natsu, Happy, and Sophia yelled in unison.

"There's no way you can beat me," Kain Hikaru muttered from across the clearing. Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man and began to run towards him. "We'll see about that!"

But he had gotten distracted. He realized too late that Kain Hikaru was not who he should have been focusing on as Sophia's foot smashed into his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. Natsu gasped, trying to recover from the attack, but he was too slow. Her fist slammed into his jaw, sending blood shooting from his mouth. She landed another blow on his stomach and he bowled over in pain. He managed to dodge the kick aimed for his face, ducking down and rolling between her legs. She spun around, but he was gone, running towards Kain Hikaru. He was within a foot when a massive tree came tumbling down, hitting his legs and pinning him to the ground with a sickening crunch.

"NATSU!" Sophia and Happy yelled. Sophia's hands were covered in dirt and she stood next to a gaping hole in the ground.

"SHHHIT!" Natsu screeched, his eyes widening as Sophia clumsily stalked over to Lucy, who was regaining consciousness. The dragon slayer's movements were jerky and uncoordinated, causing her to stumble, slowing her way to the spirit mage. Lucy sat up as she approached, groaning and scrambling backwards. Her back hit a tree and she gulped in fear as Sophia continued her march towards her. The redhead's face was contorted in pain and anger, a scowl plastered on her usually pretty features.

She knelt in front of Lucy and slowly reached out her hands. Lucy took a deep breath, a couple of tears spilling from her eyes. Her keys and her whip were on the other side of the clearing.

"SOPHIA! STOP!" Happy screeched, flying straight towards her. She jerked her head to look at him, the look on her face one of despair.

"Happy, no…" she whispered, her eyes widening in horror as she watched her fist catch light and connect with the exceed. He was launched into a tree and slid down the trunk, his eyes dazed and lost. The red-haired dragon slayer turned her attention back to the spirit mage, her hands once again shakily reaching out to close around her throat.

"Lucy, c'mon...fight back. Please…" she choked out as she picked up the blonde and began to squeeze. Her brown eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at Sophia, whose heart froze in her chest.

"LUCY YOU NEED TO RUN!" Natsu yelled in anguish, desperately trying to free himself.

She glanced over at him and smiled again. "No...I'm done running away. It's always more fun when we're together."

As she said 'together' Sophia's whole body suddenly caught fire. "LUCY!" she shrieked, sounding truly terrified. The noise was foreign and disgusting to Natsu, sending shivers down his spine and bile up his throat. Natsu blinked back tears.

"LUCY!" he called hoarsely, the stinging in his throat intensifying.

The blonde was suddenly thrown to the side, landing next to Natsu. He managed to scoot closer to her and cradled her head in his hands, inspecting her for damage. She seemed relatively unscathed for the ordeal he had just witnessed.

"Sophia?" he croaked. She was just a pillar of fire now. She began to march across the clearing, leaving a trail of ashes in her wake. She stalked up to Kain Hikaru, who was scrambling backwards as fast as he could, his eyes never leaving Sophia's.

"You made me hurt my best friends," the dragon slayer growled as she glowered down at the chubby man.

"I...I-"

"Who said you could talk!?" she yelled, her voice ringing through the clearing. "You're never gonna see the light of day again!"

"Sophia…" Natsu heard Happy whisper. Sophia held the man up, the fire creeping over his pale skin. She slammed him into a tree and snarled. The fire continued to spread, slowly. He screamed in agony as blisters appeared across his stomach and crept up towards his chest. Her grip never faltered, the fire only increasing in heat as the man cried.

"You should be able to handle what you dish out, bastard."

Her fire flared up with anger as she spat the insult out at him. She lifted him up again and rammed him into the tree, and then again...and again...and again. It felt like ages as the silence of the woods was filled with the loud cracking noises and Kain Hikaru's pitiful shrieks. She threw him to the ground at her feet and dove towards him, pinning him underneath her as she threw punch after fiery punch at his pale, round face. The faint thudding noises were punctuated by a loud crack as Kain's nose shattered and blood began to pour down his face. The curse mage spat blood into Sophia's face as she beat him, only enraging her more. She began to start her tirade with a renewed energy, but faltered when Happy's voice rang through the clearing, anger and concern evident in his tone.

"SOPHIA!" Happy said again, more forcefully this time. She slowed, her hand dropping from Kain Hikaru. He began to crawl away from the dragon slayer.

"He...he hurt you. And Natsu. And Lucy," she whispered. Natsu could hear the waver in her voice. She didn't turn around to meet the blue cat's gaze, only stared straight ahead at the demolished tree with her hands clenched into fists at her sides, opening and closing as she attempted to calm down.

"We know," Natsu tried to say reassuringly, but it came out shakier than he had intended, less confident, and he cursed himself under his breath, worried that she would think he was insincere. He cleared his throat.

"Could you help me?" he asked, trying to distract her. She turned around quickly, running over to him.

"Shit, Natsu, I'm s-" Natsu pressed his hand against her mouth. He took a moment to savor the way her lips felt pressed against his hands. Warm and rough. "Don't be sorry."

She nodded, his hand still clasped against her mouth. She licked him playfully, and he quickly ripped his hand away, screeching,  
"GROSS!"

A hint of a smile played on her lips as she set the tree on top of him on fire and shoved it off of him. Natsu shuffled out from under as it turned to embers above him. Sophia turned to Lucy and embraced her roughly as Natsu attempted to escape the oak's clutches. Sophia shuddered a little bit as she pressed her head against Lucy's chest.

"It's fine, I'm fine," the blonde said reassuringly.

Natsu walked up and pressed his hand against the redhead's back.

"You beat one of their stupid ancient magics!"

Lucy released Sophia, and looked at Natsu with eyes half-lidded in annoyance.

"Natsu. You do realize that dragon slayer magic is a 'stupid ancient magic', don't you?"

She used air quotes as she said 'stupid ancient magic', mocking the pink haired boy. Sophia leaned backwards onto Natsu, laughing at him and looking up at him, but her eyes were swimming with shame and guilt.

If I'd been just a little quicker…" they seemed to say to him.

Natsu pressed his forehead against hers and smiled down at her.

"Don't worry about anything, Phia. We're all totally fine. You didn't hurt us anymore than you do when we're training. We can take a punch from you, easy."

"Sorry to break this up," Lucy said, sighing and crossing her arms in front of her chest, "But did we just let Zeref get away?"

"Ah, shit," the dragon slayers said in unison while Happy cackled.

Lucy:

Lucy, Happy, Sophia, and Natsu raced through the woods together, the two dragon slayers attempting to track Zeref's smell.

"Any luck?" Lucy called up to the pinkette leading the pack.

"No...nothing so far," he mumbled, obviously annoyed by the situation. Lucy felt goosebumps rise on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"Someone's here!" she whispered harshly into Sophia's ear. The redhead paused for a moment, sniffing the air.

"It's Gray I think…" she said, puzzled.

"HELLO? POPSICLE, YOU OUT THERE?!" the dragon slayer suddenly yelled into the woods. Lucy's heart leapt into her chest, worried Sophia was wrong. But seconds later, a mop of black hair appeared out of the trunks. Loke followed close behind. Lucy's eyes lit up.

"You guys haven't seen Cana, have you?" Lucy asked rather frantically.

"Huh? Nope. Haven't seen her. What happened?"

Lucy began to describe the situation before she faltered, realizing it would put Cana in a very bad light, and she couldn't very well explain the reasoning.

"I...I must have gotten knocked out somehow. When I woke up, I was alone and one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory was watching me."

Loke immediately rushed forward and swept Lucy off her feet.

"How cruel! A beautiful maiden all alone in the woods! With the likes of these two!" he said, gesturing at the dragon slayers.

"HEY!" Natsu and Sophia yelled in protest. Loke smiled and added, "Oh, of course I'm kidding! Sophia is as lovely as ever."

He winked, and caught Natsu's eye above the girl's head, causing his lips to twitch slightly in amusement as he smirked. Natsu glared back daggers.

"Loke!" Lucy scolded as he sat her down. "Be nice."

The Spirit King smiled down at her lovingly and nodded, chuckling a little.

"I'll try my hardest."

He turned to Natsu, a serious look in his eyes.

"Where are you guys heading?"

Natsu shrugged, letting most of the venom escape from his gaze, but not all of it.

"Just trying to find Zeref," he stated, nonchalantly. The new mages eyes widened in terror.

"We should all look for him then, flame brain!" Gray butted in. "Since you managed to lose him!"

Natsu scowled and pressed his head against the ice mage's.

Lucy stepped in between them and shoved them apart, annoyance clear on her face.

"Why don't we split into two groups and go looking for him? We'll cover more ground and-"

"Good idea, Luce! See you later!" Natsu called over his shoulder as he dragged Sophia into the forest after him, Happy flying alongside.

"HEY!" the blonde yelled, but got no response, and soon their footsteps faded.

"I guess its us then!" Loke said cheerily, wrapping an arm around the two mages and leading them down a path.


	13. Chapter 13

Natsu:

They were holding hands again. What a day. Sophia was walking along next to him, intently focusing on smelling out intruders. He watched as she sniffed around her and cocked her head to the side, listening to the faint yells in the distance. She suddenly stopped and changed direction, barrelling off the path and towards the sound of a giant explosion. She began to run, and Natsu increased his speed to catch up to her. She stopped abruptly when she reached the clearing, causing Natsu to run straight into her again. They went tumbling forwards, a tangle of limbs, again, and rolled to a stop in the middle of a swarm of enemies, who had all stopped to watch the spectacle unfold.

"Sophia-san! Natsu-san!" Wendy called out cheerily, thankful that they were there to help. She was exhausted from her loss to Azuma, her limbs battered and bruised. Carla and Pantherlily were worse for wear as well. Pantherlily was barely able to hold off the attackers. The two dragon slayers leapt up in front of Wendy, ready to fight.

"What happened here?!" Sophia called out as she knocked over a wave of bad guys. She turned and eyed Wendy's wounds warily.

"We met one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. They're the strongest members of Grimoire Heart…"

Sophia's eyes widened. "We ran into one of those."

Sophia turned away from the girl to drop kick a particularly large attacker, but popped back up again and said, "I bet you did great!"

Wendy smiled at the older mage's kindness, but she felt weak and defeated.

Natsu glanced over at the two female dragon slayers, sensing something big was coming. He dove towards them as a man with a mane of yellow hair rose up over the edge of the cliff.

He glanced around the clearing, eyeing the Fairy Tail mages scornfully.

"Enough! That's enough!" he ordered the grunts around him. Two ran up to him as he landed on the dirt and gave him a quick thanks, yelling, "They're pretty strong!"

The man's eyes flashed in anger.

"What did you just say?"

"I-I said they were pretty s-strong, Zancrow, sir."

Zancrow glared down at the poor guy with malice coming off of him in waves.  
"THEY'RE THE ENEMY! WE ARE THE STRONG ONES. IF THEY'RE GIVING YOU TROUBLE, YOU SHOULDN'T BE A PART OF GRIMOIRE HEART!"

As he yelled the last words, a wall of black flame rose up and crushed the remaining enemies. Natsu's eyes widened and he screamed in anger, "THOSE WERE YOUR ALLIES!"

Zancrow acknowledged his presence for the first time.

"I have no need for weak allies."

Natsu's eyes darkened.

"I'm gonna make you eat those words, bastard."

Zancrow smiled, up for a challenge.

"Bring it on, pink boy."

Natsu scowled, rushing forwards, his fists aflame, as he yelled, "REAL ORIGINAL!"

Zancrow didn't even flinch. A wall of flame rose up and met Natsu and he smirked. He began to suck it in, but realized something was wrong with this flame. It clawed at the inside of his throat and rubbed it raw. He clutched at it, retching.

"You've met your match, Dragon Slayer. These are God Slayer flames."

"Natsu!" Sophia called, running across the clearing towards him, not seeing Zancrow at the bottom of the hill until it was too late.

"FIRE GOD'S BELLOW!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as she approached. A wall of black flames shot towards her.

Kain Hikaru:

Kain Hikaru sat under an old oak tree, the cold of the bark soothing the bursting blisters that covered his torso. He clutched the doll to his chest, mumbling an incantation under his breath. The red hair had somehow remained intact during the fiery assault. He sat the doll on the ground, still muttering the enchantment, as a magic circle began to appear around the puppet. It glowed purple, illuminating the doll in a horrific light that spooked even Kain himself. He raised his arms high above his head as he finished, the circle complete. The doll glowed the same purple as the circle had, and suddenly shot a beacon into the air before all the light suddenly dispersed, leaving Hikaru alone in the dark woods once more.

Sophia:

The wall of black flame rushed towards Sophia. Her body tensed and she began to leap into the air, towards Natsu, to avoid it, but halfway through, she felt her legs give out underneath her and her body fell to the ground like a weight. She landed next to Natsu, who had recovered enough to worry about her. She noticed a faint purple glow around her before her eyes shut heavily and Natsu's panicked face disappeared from sight. She felt an incredible burning sensation before she sank into darkness. She heard a yell escape someone's lips and then she felt weightless. Whose voice was that? She knew it, but everything was so foggy she couldn't even place it. She felt like she was sinking in a pool, her limbs heavy and painful, before she lost consciousness, the voice still echoing around in her head.


	14. Chapter 14

Natsu:

One minute, Sophia was rushing to his rescue, the next she had passed out as a powerful attack rushed straight towards her. Natsu locked eyes with her as she fell to the ground, but he knew he couldn't make it to her in time.

"SOPHIA!" he screamed, attempting to rouse her from whatever sleep she had fallen into. He began to run towards her, but another wall of flames rose up and blocked his path. He grunted in pain as he watched the God's Bellow attack envelop the red-head. Her body was flung across the grassy field, rolling past a shell-shocked Wendy. Natsu fell to the ground, gritting his teeth and pressing his fist into the soft, wet, dirt, angrily.

"It's no use!" Zancrow called from across the expanse, sauntering towards the injured dragon slayer. "She's under Kain Hikaru's spell."

Natsu's eyes widened. That fucking doll. He growled, his extra sharp canine teeth showing. Zancrow narrowed his eyes, secretly intimidated by Natsu's change in attitude. A different aura was coming off of the pinkette; a more serious, vengeful one.

"You're going to fix her after I beat your ass into the ground," Natsu snarled.

"After this display, I can't say I'm worried," the blonde slayer retorted, flipping his hair and laughing. Natsu growled, low, in the back of his throat, and planted his feet firmly in the soft soil.

"Your flames won't work on me," the fire dragon slayer stated solemnly. He stared Zancrow straight on, feeling the single bead of sweat roll down his forehead, tickling his face, his heart rate increasing as it traced a line in the dirt on his tan skin. Zancrow began to guffaw, his lean body shaking with laughter.

"That's rich! You're too cocky, wannabe dragon slayer."

He suddenly raced forwards, slamming into Natsu, sending him flying backwards, followed by a wave of black fire searching for a victim. He smirked, leaning forwards slightly and cocked his head towards Wendy.

"Watch this, kid."

Wendy gulped, her heart rising into her throat. She felt like she was going to throw up. What could she do? She was injured (it was agony to move) and if Natsu and Sophia had been taken out so quickly, what good would she be?

"Oh! That's it!" Wendy exclaimed to herself. She began to crawl towards Sophia's body, going slow as possible to avoid Zancrow's vengeful gaze. She was stopped in her tracks by a pillar of midnight flames shooting into the clear blue sky not ten feet away from her.

"NATSU-SAN!" she screamed. She was vaguely aware of Happy zooming over her head, straight towards the magic.

"NATSU!" he yelped, his voice quivering in fear for his best friend.

"HAPPY, NO!" Carla yelled from the sidelines. "THOSE ARE FLAMES NOT EVEN THE FIRE DRAGON SLAYER CAN EAT! YOU'D BE INCINERATED!"

Happy crash landed just outside of the blast zone, rolling through the dirt.

"HAHA!" the god slayer cackled, his silhouette appearing out of the fire. "You thought you could eat the flames of a god? Flames that are above even a dragon? You're gonna end up getting divine punishment, kid."

Natsu was on the ground, beaten and bloodied. He shakily pushed himself up and looked up at the blonde mage standing over him.

"My power's on a completely different level than yours, kid. I'm a god killer. A god slayer."

"Pshht. I've felt flames hotter than these. Bring it on!" the fire dragon slayer challenged, getting to his feet and raising his fists in front of him. Natsu charged the older mage, sending a whirlwind of fiery attacks towards him, relentless in his barrage. Zancrow grinned, a malicious, cold smile.

"So this is the power of a dragon slayer?"

Natsu cocked an eyebrow as he landed hit after hit, moving Zancrow back with every hit.

"God slayer my ass! You say god taught that to you?!"

He spun and leapt through the air, landing a roundhouse towards Zancrow's chest, but the god slayer blocked it, holding his arms in front of him in an x shape.

"Since Master Hades could be considered a god...then yes. This is indeed the lost magic I received from god."

Natsu suddenly started to laugh uncontrollably, a sadistic smile crossing his face, his teeth growing sharper and more intimidating.

"SO YOU JUST LEARNED IT FROM SOME STUPID HUMAN! HAHAA!"

He shot forwards, getting inside Zancrow's defense and whispering in his ear, "I learned mine from a real dragon."

He grinned as fear flashed through Zancrow's eyes, but the exchange was too quick. Natsu punched him in the gut with a powerful fire attack and the god slayer was catapulted across the field. But the victory was short lived. The blonde righted himself in the air, landing roughly on his feet, sliding backwards through the crumbling dirt. He pulled his hands back by his side, and as Natsu began to yell, "FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!", he began to yell, "FIRE GOD'S KAGUTSUCHI!".

Dust flew up around them as the attacks met in the middle, sending the exceeds flying backwards. Wendy shielded her eyes against the excruciating light.

"The powers of gods and dragons are clashing…" she whispered. Her words were blown away by the wind, spiraling away from her and forcing her into silence as the awe of the situation settled over the young girl.

Zancrow began to giggle, Natsu began to curse. His flame was being enveloped by the infectious black fire.

"ARGHHH!" he grunted, doing his best to hold his ground, but it was no use. The black flames reached him, taking hold of him and throwing him into the ground like a rag doll.

"NATSU!" Happy called out frantically. Zancrow suddenly rounded on him, his eyes angry slits.

"You cats are really starting to piss me off," he muttered as he threw his hand to the side and the exceeds caught fire.

"FUCK OFF!" Natsu screamed, emerging from the mound of dirt he'd been flung into.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" he yelled as his stomach expanded and the powerful attack raced towards the god slayer. Zancrow turned to face it head on, even leaning into it.

"Did you know it was god that gave humans the knowledge of fire? It was neither a human nor a dragon who created fire."

He opened his mouth and rapidly sucked in the raging fire dragon attack.

"IT WAS GOD!" he screeched at the top of his lungs.

Another bead of sweat ran down Natsu's face and he felt the fear flowing through his body intensify, weighing him down, throwing him off balance. How'd he eat my flames? My most powerful attack…

Wendy took the opportunity to crawl as fast as her hands and knees would carry her over to the incapacitated dragon slayer. She picked up her head and placed it in her lap, checking for vitals. She slapped her once, attempting to wake her up.

"You've got to learn to be less reckless, Sophia-san…" she muttered, rolling her eyes at the sleeping dragon. She laid her back down on the cool earth and prepared herself to cast troia, but Sophia's body was suddenly devoured by hungry black flames, and Wendy was thrown backwards.

"No point in wasting your magic on her!" Zancrow called from across the field. Sophia flew towards him, carried by his magic. She fell through the air towards him, but he caught her by the front of the shirt and held her close to his face, turning her left and right as he inspected her. He threw her to the ground and stepped on her back, pinning her.

"Those were some tasty flames, dragon slayer. They were wild ones, ones that'll never die out...But even if you have the strength to kill a dragon, you can't kill a god."

As he said the last words, he stepped back, preparing for a monstrous attack.

"THIS IS GRIMOIRE HEART'S MAGIC!" he cried out in glee, unleashing a destructive force of unprecedented proportion towards a defenseless Natsu.

"FIRE GOD'S BELLOW!" he roared as Natsu went sailing over the side of the cliff. Zancrow smiled smugly, releasing Sophia and slinging her over his shoulders as he trudged towards the cliff edge.


	15. Chapter 15

Gray:

The woods seemed endless as Gray, Loke, and Lucy trudged along, occasionally calling out Cana's name.

"Man, we haven't gotten to see any action yet!" Gray moaned, leaning over forwards and sighing.

"I've seen plenty for one day…" Lucy grumbled from behind the ice mage, a look of annoyance on her pretty face.

"Guys, shut up! I think I see something!" Loke grunted from a couple feet in front of them. He had crouched down and peered through the bushes that coated the dark green ground.

Gray and Lucy knelt next to him, jostling each other for a chance to see.

"Are those ruins?" Lucy whispered to her spirit.

"I think so…" he whispered back, before crawling through the thicket, the branches rustling ominously as his orange hair disappeared into the green.

Makarov:

The large gravestone towered over Makarov as he knelt before it. The wind stirred the leaves around him, but he did not stir from his meditation, only muttering, "Mavis...you're here," under his breath.

He slowly opened his eyes as the leaves shook more aggressively.

"To think we led enemies here, to Fairy Tail's holy land…"

The old man shook his head in disappointment, clicking his tongue.

"You must be so disappointed in us...however, I take full responsibility."

The leaves rustled once more.

"I will accept any punishment for this, just, I beg you, please just protect those kids."

A leaf was plucked from a tall oak by the wind and floated gently down into Makarov's lap. He smiled wistfully, twisting it between his fingers.

"Not that they'll need it," he whispered cheekily as he walked out of the clearing.

Lucy:

"Loke! Wait up!" the blonde called after her spirit, jogging to reach him. He was carefully inspecting the decaying stone structure they had uncovered. He glanced over his shoulder as she came closer and flashed her one of his signature grins. She smiled back and pressed herself close against him, peering at the stone over his shoulder.

"You know, I never expected to see you in a hawaiian shirt," Lucy teased.

"Yeah, it was quite the surprise for me too," Gray called from across the clearing.

"It's quite bright!" Lucy added, giggling and stepping towards Gray as he approached. Loke stopped his careful inspection of the ancient inscriptions to lean against the wall and shoot the blond a playful look.

"Aren't I known for being bright?"

"If you mean obnoxious, then yeah, definitely," Gray mumbled, a smile playing on his lips.

Loke shot the ice mage a glare as he taunted, "You're one to talk…"

"I swear, its like of none of you know how hard it is to be around you sometimes…" Lucy grumbled, leaning on top of a crumbled wall.

"Who's the you in that?" the ice mage demanded, although his tone was still friendly and playful.

"Oh, I don't know… you, Loke, Natsu, Sophia, you again, Erza…you...I could go on."

Gray caught the blonde in a headlock before she could get away and gave her an aggressive noogie while she screamed her head off about how long it'd taken her to fix her hair after her fight with Kain Hikaru. And then, suddenly, Gray was flying away from her and Loke was diving towards her, his arms outstretched, as thousands of men suddenly came raining out of the sky and a pillar of smoke rose between her and the ice-make mage.

"LUCY!"

Two voices rang out from either side of Lucy, but she had lost sight of both of her friends. She stood up and turned quickly in a circle, realizing she was surrounded. Whipping out her keys, a thought struck her: "Open! Gate of the ram!"

A poof of pink smoke rose around her, once again blocking her from view, but she could hear the footsteps of the soldiers and the yells of Loke and Gray. Flashes of light shone through her smoke layer, but she retreated into it, tugging Aries along with her.

"Miss Lucy! Where are we going? I sense danger this way!"

Lucy froze as Aries spoke. Her back was pressed up against something cold. She fumbled blindly with her hands, not daring to turn around. She was met with the feel of fur and a small chuckle.

"Did you say Miss _Lucy_?" an eerie voice broke through the silence that had enveloped her.

"ARIES- NOW!"

Aries shot forward, puffs of pink shooting from her small fists as Lucy leapt around, her whip flashing, nearing the figure's face. A large hand shot up, the whip flailing and wrapping around it. A small grunt came from the figure, but it seemed undeterred. It grabbed onto the whip with its other hand, looping it around it's arms, tugging Lucy closer and closer as it expertly dodged Aries' attacks. The smoke screen had begun to clear and Lucy glanced around, desperately searching for Loke or Gray. The figure's face began to come into view, but Lucy was focusing on her next plan of attack.

 _Why was my name important to it?_

She bit her lip and dug the heels of her boots into the ground, coming to a halt as she tugged back on the whip.

"Who are you? What's it to you if she calls me Lucy?"

The smoke was gone now, revealing her opponent. He had the head of a goat and the body of a man, a cropped suit covering little of his toned midsection. The smile that crept across his features was humorous, but Lucy could tell it didn't reach his eyes, even through the dark sunglasses. He didn't answer her question, only started to pull with a renewed strength. Lucy ripped the whip off of his arm, sending him flying backwards with a screech. He skidded to a halt, his eyes shining behind his glasses. He crouched slowly, his head darting around, before he suddenly leapt into the air, flipping, and landing on a tall, stone, archway. Lucy hadn't realized it, but she had wandered into the ruins under the smoke screen. A mass of soldiers raced towards her. She stepped into a battle stance, expecting an onslaught, but only heard a loud clap ring out across the clearing. The soldiers suddenly disappeared into thin air, small golden sparkles appearing in their wake, the only evidence they had ever been there.

"Lucy!" she heard Loke call. She turned towards the source of the voice and caught sight of the spirit mage and Gray running towards her from the opposite end of the field.

"Watch out!" she yelled, frantically pointing towards the remaining enemy perched far above them. Loke skidded to halt next to her, his eyes wide, sweat pouring down his face. He re-positioned his glasses, staring intently at the goat man.

"What the hell was all that!?" Gray said from Lucy's other side, clearly annoyed by his enemies' sudden disappearance.

"They were too weak to defeat you. It would have been a waste of time," the goat man called from his roost. He was still smiling, his arms crossed over his bare chest confidently as he peered down at them.

"If Grimoire Heart is to create the ultimate world of magic, I will have to eliminate you here and now…"

"Hold up," Gray called, his face a mask of indifference, but Lucy could tell he was upset by the notion. His outburst was enough evidence of his anger.

"What's this 'ultimate world of magic' involve? Don't we already live in the ultimate world of magic?"

The goatman began to guffaw, throwing his head back and clutching his sides.

"You believe that _this_ ," he gestured to the world around him, "is the ultimate place for magic to thrive?"

His expression quickly darkened, the glasses falling down his nose to reveal malicious eyes.

"You're delusional if you believe you will ever reach your full potential in this world. Surrender now, and I'll give you the chance to see it...a world with only mages. We will erase all humans incapable of using magic, we-"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" Lucy screamed over him, clearly angry. Her face was bright red and her hands were balled in fists at her sides. She looked as if she wanted to jump up there and deck him.

"No one will benefit from that! It will be a horrible world!"

The goat man turned to her once more, the same smile creeping across his features as he regarded her.

"Well...then you won't have to see it."

He leapt down from the arch, the earth shattering under him as he landed.

"We have two missions...the first is to obtain Zeref and bring him to Master Hades," he turned sideways, falling easily into a fighting stance.

"The second is to destroy Fairy Tail."

Before Gray could leap into action, Loke calmly stepped forwards, throwing his hand out behind him, stopping the ice wizard from attacking.

"Wait."

He glanced back at Lucy over his shoulder.

"Loke?"

"I'll take care of this guy. Since he's one of the seven kin of purgatory, that means there's at least five more guys like him. You go look for the others."

He turned away from Lucy quickly.

"What are you talking about?! All three of us should take him on!"

"NO!" Loke yelled, a little more forcefully than necessary. Gray cocked an eyebrow at Lucy. She shook her head.

"He uses an ancient type of magic called Human Subordination Magic. It temporarily weakens the magic and battle power of a human. It's also known as ruler magic…" Loke began to glow gold, his hair sticking up on end, his clothes turning into his usual suit.

"But, as a spirit, it has no effect on me."

He looked at Lucy again, a guilty look flashing across his face. She ran towards Gray and started to tug on his arm, trying to get him to walk away from Loke.

"You've probably already noticed, but he's a spirit, too."

"WHAT?!" came an outraged cry from Gray. He looked at Lucy, who looked down, refusing to meet his eye.

"YOU KNEW?"

"He's capricorn, the goat," she whispered, getting a nod from Loke.

"Loke...then that means-"

"Please don't say anything."

Lucy's expression hardened and she took a step towards her spirit, but it was Gray's turn to grab her arm.

"Lucy, c'mon, we're no help here."

"But…"

Gray started to run, tugging Lucy along with him, but she yanked her arm out of his grasp. She turned around and yelled, "But I have to be here for a spirit battle!"

Loke didn't turn, but his voice was louder than Lucy had ever heard him raise it as he screamed, "JUST HURRY AND GO."

She flinched at the harshness. Gray's hand found hers and he said, "He must have some kind of big reason. Just trust him, Lucy."

He began to tug her along again.

"You believe in him, don't you?"

She abruptly turned around once more, this time yelling at the top of her lungs.

"LOKE! YOU'D BETTER COME BACK TO ME, NO MATTER WHAT!"

"That girl…" Capricorn began to mutter, before he was interrupted by a regulus impact to the face.

Lucy squeezed Gray's with a new energy and raced ahead of him as they ran from the clearing.

Loke

"For a moment there, I was beginning to think you had forgotten you were a spirit yourself, Leo."

Capricorn had returned to his signature pose, arms crossed in front of his chest, his expression unreadable, but it was clear the attack had gotten to him. Steam rose off his broad shoulders, a single cut spreading blood across his face.

Loke rubbed his rings, glancing away from his opponent for mere seconds. Then he was flying backwards, Capricorn's head rammed into his stomach, pain blossoming through his torso.

"How many years has it been since you disappeared from the spirit world?" Loke yelled to Capricorn as they flew backwards together.

"Seventeen," came the gruff reply.

Loke sent a kick flying towards Capricorn's stomach, but the goatman dodged, flipping over and landing gracefully about ten feet away. Loke stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"To think you could live that long in the human world...Who is your master?"

"I HAVE NO MASTER!" Capricorn looked up sharply, his glasses slipping down and revealing the bloodcurdling intensity that radiated from his red eyes. "I AM MYSELF A MASTER THAT USES HUMANS!"

He gave Loke a look that seemed to say 'watch', a giddy smile crossing his face.

"Open! Hero of Rubengard," a warrior shot forth from thin air, racing towards Loke like a bullet.

"San Jao Shin!"

A blade struck Loke's chest as Capricorn finished the incantation. The warrior turned and raced towards Loke once more.

"What is this?!" he cried out, clutching his chest and narrowly dodging a fatal attack.

"The young general San Jao Shin, who led the anti-governmental forces to victory in the Rubengard Civil war in x779. The official report is that he went MIA, but really he became my subordinate."

Loke crouched to the ground, his eyes wide in disbelief, blood dripping out of his mouth as he ground out a reply.

"You kidnapped… and can summon a human?!"

Capricorn smiled again, towering above Loke, who was desperately trying to stand.

"Next, allow me to inquire about your master."

Loke's head shot up, an angry rumbling from his throat. He quickly stumbled to his feet.

"Why.."

Capricorn spread his arms out, as if the answer was obvious.

"Why, to make her my subordinate, of course."

He smiled knowingly at Loke as he spoke.

"I already have a hunch, but that blonde women I let get away just now...You want to fight one on one with me? No. You did that so she could get away. What an unpleasant duty, being a spirit is…"

Capricorn grasped his head, remembering Lucy's last order to Loke, whispering it under his breath.

"You better come back to me…no matter what…"

He was transported back to a different time. He kneeled at Layla Heartfilia's feet as she said "You better come back to me, no matter what."

"The similarities are uncanny…" he whispered once more, leaving Loke anxious.

Capricorn's head shot up and he locked eyes with Loke.

"It can't be...that woman…"

 _Shit...he noticed._

Loke pressed his hand against his chest, attempting to stifle the blood with his thin dress shirt.

Capricorn took a step forward, screaming at the top of his lungs, "THAT'S WHY YOU SENT HER AWAY FROM ME! HER...THAT WOMAN…"

He ground his teeth, eyes narrowing behind the dark shades.

"THAT WOMAN IS LAYLA HEARTFILIA'S DAUGHTER!"

"Dammit…" Loke cursed under his breath, still clutching the wound to his chest.

"I WILL NOT LET HER GET AWAY IN ONE PIECE! WHERE IS SHE?"

Loke stepped forward as Capricorn thrashed wildly.

"As long as that woman exists...I…Open! Hunter of Belparaso! Samagui! Go and destroy Layla's daughter!"

"Yes sir!"

Loke dove towards the hunter, his fist connected with his face. The hunter went hurdling into the ground.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" he screamed at Capricorn, sweat and blood dripping down his face.

Capricorn squatted, his hands raised in front of him, palms out, as he yelled, "OUT OF THE WAAAAY!"

Six warriors shot towards Loke, but he stomped his foot and he began to glow, blasting the warriors back.

"According to Crux," he said, panting, "Layla made a pact with you twenty years ago. Now, I don't know what kind of deal it was, but that means your current master should be Layla's daughter, Lucy, but even she seems unaware of this fact."

Loke took a step forward, making eye contact with Capricorn.

"Just what happened, Capricorn?"

Capricorn looked down, like a child being scolded by their parent, shame creeping across his features.

"Taboo," he grunted. "Every magic his its own set of rules that you're not supposed to cross, but I broke one of those rules."

He started to laugh maniacally.

"AND AS A RESULT, I GOT THIS! THIS BODY! I'M A GOAT! HILARIOUS, HUH?!"

Loke took a tentative step back.

"What are you talking about…"

Capricorn leaned forward, menacingly. He had noticed Loke's change in attitude.

"You know...I've really started to miss my human form lately. This is perfect timing."

Capricorn raised his hands, shouting, "HUMAN SUBORDINATION MAGIC: HUMARAISE!"

Loke lowered his hands to his sides.

"I'm a spirit...that magic doesn't work on me, remember?"

Capricorn threw his head back.

"Yes...that is one of the taboos. I can't use this magic on anyone but humans…"

He crossed his arms in front of him, forming an x.

"Those who do…"

Loke took another step back, his hands raised to his defense again.

"D-don't tell me...you.."

"WILL FUSE WITH THEIR TARGETS!"

Loke could see the shadow of a man rising above Capricorn's head. Red eyes glowed against the dark background, tearing Loke apart.

Loke's eyes widened as the reality of the situation finally settled over him.

"YOU MEAN YOU'RE ACTUALLY A HUMAN WHO FUSED WITH CAPRICORN?!"

He took another couple of rapid steps back as the shadow grew in size, glowering over him.

"YES! AND NOW I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR BODY, LEO!"

Loke regained his composure just in time, launching himself forwards with a regulus impact right to capricorn's gut.

"YOU BASTARD!" he yelled as his fist connected.

But the shadow had escaped Capricorn's body and was rushing straight towards Loke.

"Looks like you were a bit too late."

Loke made an attempt to dodge, but the shadow grasped his head and began to screech, "GOTCHA!" as Loke flailed around, violently attempting to reject the shadow.

Capricorn's body fell to the ground, dust rising around him. Loke had stopped moving, an evil glint now in his eye. He walked over to Capricorn and gently kicked his leg.

"Thanks for everything, goat body. After taking a hit from Leo, I doubt you can move though…"

He hunched over, holding the wound on his chest, a sadistic smile spreading across Loke's now cold features.

"I...my name is Leo. Lucy is my master...And by killing her, I will become a complete human."

 _That's it...Lucy trusts this body, so maybe I can trick her...Or maybe it'd be better to make her into a slave a play around with her for a little while...she's beautiful, just like her mother._

His body twitched. Then a fist connected with his back, a beam of light cutting through his flesh.

"WH-WHAT THE…"

"Regulus is fully charged, it seems, Zoldeo-sama."

Capricorn was standing behind him, the attack had been his.

"That..that name.." Loke whispered.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" came a shriek from above them as Zoldeo rocketed over their heads.

"Capricorn…" Loke said, smiling.

"Sorry to use such a vulgar method," Capricorn said as he caught Loke and gently laid him on the ground.

"No, no. It's fine. It would have been impossible to separate us otherwise."

Their attention was brought back to the screaming man writhing around on the ground.

"Why..why can you move, Capricorn?!" he said, on the verge of tears.

"Just before you fused with Leo-sama, I received Regulus from Leo-sama."

Zoldeo's eyes widened in shock and he pushed himself to his knees, slowly and shakily.

"Y-YOU MEAN HE TRANSFERRED HIS MAGIC WITH THAT PUNCH?!"

Loke smirked at him, sweat and blood still mixing on his brow.

Zoldeo narrowed his eyes.

"You bastard…" he muttered under his breath as he gazed down at his own hands for the first time in 20 years.

"I...I have my original form back."

But as he watched, his hands began to melt.

"What..What's happening?!"

He looked desperately at Loke and Capricorn as he turned to dust and faded away in front of them.

"It happened twenty years ago," Capricorn began, drawing Loke's attention back to him.

"Layla-sama became fatigued and retired from her mage work. When that happened, Aquarius, Cancer, and I were passed onto three new users. One of them was Zoldeo, he had my key, but at the same time, I made a pact with Layla to protect her family forever."

Loke nodded slowly, making his way to sit on the steps of the ruins behind them.

"So that's why you belong to Lucy…"

Capricorn stood next to him, his head bowed.

"Zoldeo agreed to that at first, but he became slowly swallowed up by the darkness…"

Loke nodded again, glancing up at Capricorn out of the corner of his eyes.

"So...how'd Lucy look to you?"

Capricorn looked straight ahead, his expression as unreadable as ever.

"She is truly Layla's daughter. I can tell she both loves and is loved by her spirits."

Loke turned to him again, hopeful.  
"So you'll lend her your power?"

"No."

Loke froze.

"I cannot give my power to Lucy at this point…"

He turned to look at Loke and smiled, sheepishly.

"For it already belongs to her. I can finally return to my original master."


	16. Author Note

Just wanted to apologize for any kind of assumptions that might've been made about this story! To the reviewer who was upset that I didn't put tags! I do not know how in all honesty this interface is very confusing to me so sorry for that, but also just an FYI i do this for fun! I appreciate anyone reading it but my ultimate goal is to make myself happy, so I hope you can appreciate that without giving me a hard time for it. No hard feelings, you had a valid point! I was disappointed that I couldn't message you back. But again, thanks to anyone who has read this far, I've had a lot of fun writing it and developing my character. Thanks.


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